As the cacophony of battle raged in a symphony of steel, roars and screams. The remaining Ash clone showed themselves to be a whirlwind of destruction that flattened a path through the monstrosities with their massive axe. Each swing was a testament to raw power, tearing through flesh and plating alike, leaving a wake of grotesque dismemberment behind them seemingly in revenge for the recently destroyed companion who was struck by a hammer blow causing her to disappear. In contrast Alice moved with an ethereal, almost predatory grace. Her scythe and dagger spun in a deadly ballet, a crimson artist painting the battlefield with geysers of blood that erupted from her grotesque adversaries, seemingly uncaring if they were human or not. Both warriors were honing their craft in the crucible of combat as they seemed to perfectly synchronize into a brutal rhythm with every foe they brought down. The original still kept back, beads of sweat forming on he brow as she seemed to hold her hands in front of her, a faint shimmer of something forming that took all her concentration and focus.
Yet, even perfected instincts could falter. John watched as a monstrous hulk, its immense form imbued with unnatural speed, unleashed a crushing hammer blow that caught Alice off guard, a thunderous impact that sent her flying violently across the ground. Her weapons, the twin extensions of her will ripped from her grasp a she was sent flying. Her body skidding across the coarse earth and rubble tearing at her dress, leaving strips of fabric slowly staining crimson from the myriad of cuts that crisscrossed her skin. The impact rattled her to her core, leaving her breathless and disoriented as she slowly forced herself to stand.
Before she could fully process the pain, one of the chimera's, an amalgamation of twisted flesh and many razor-sharp tongues descended upon her. Its serpentine appendages striking out like whips, each one slicing across her skin like a thousand tiny razors causing a guttural scream to rip from her throat, not just from the lacerations, but from the potent toxin there spit seem to carry that now wracked her body. The pain was unlike anything she had ever known, as if molten iron ran through her veins well burning every single one of her nerve endings, making her muscles seize and her vision swim.
The instant Alice was flung aside John moved. His internal alarm shrieked, overriding all other thoughts other than to try and save her. He lunged forward, a blur of desperate speed, though the recent additions to his cloak made him slower than he would have liked. He saw the chimera's tongues flaying Alice, heard her raw scream of agony.
"Fuck it!" he roared, the expletive a desperate prayer. This wasn't a time to hesitate anymore, no time for strategy or hesitation, it was now time retribution. He unleashed his chains, not at any of the monstrous horrors but into the ground in front of him. They bit deep, anchoring him for a moment before using them to launch himself, becoming airborne as he all but threw himself towards her. The newly acquired hammer, in hand and already arcing high above his head.
With a scream that echoed pure fury the hammer descended onto the chimera that was attacking her, striking like an angry god's fist that sent a percussive shockwave through its monstrous form with a sickening, wet crunch. But John wasn't done yet, His initial blow was only the opening act. He wrenched the hammer free before swinging it in what appeared to be an awkward, almost clumsy manner, yet each strike landed with devastating precision on the chimera's joints.
The beast gurgled and shrieked, its numerous mouths contorting in agony that made him smile, taking vindictive glee in making it suffer for what it had done. Bones shattered, joints bent at grotesque angles and its focus, once entirely on the vulnerable Alice quickly swiveled to the enraged figure before it. It thrashed, a grotesque, writhing mass well firing bullets from the various gun-like orifices embedded in its flesh, bone spikes that tore through the air, covered in a strange, sizzling liquid that hissed as it hit the ground.
John however, seemed impervious to its desperate retaliation. All he saw was a blinding, all-consuming red. This abomination had dared to harm his friend and it would pay dearly for it. His chains lashed out, wrapping around the chimera's tongues, snaking forward to hold the grotesque faces they originated from in a vice-like grip before ripping them free with a sickening tearing sound. The bullets stung as they peppering his form but the newly reinforced cloak held strong, absorbing most of the impacts and his rage blinding him to pain he should of felt from what wasn't absorbed. turning slightly, he used his dead arm to shield against a volley of bone spikes. Some managing to get through and pierce its flesh, embedding themselves, but he ignored them, his focus remaining fixed and unwavering on bringing a painful end to this thing in front of him. Securing his hammer to his waist he moved quickly towards the chimera, plucking the spikes from his arm before stabbing each and every one of them into the chimera.
A roar, fueled by pure, unadulterated rage tore from his lungs as he plunged his bare hand into the creature's ruined form, slowly, deliberately tearing it apart with his own hands. The chains flailed around him, a maelstrom of steel, aiding in the destruction to both block and shred any of the other hulking figures or chimera that approached him. Having formed tiny hooks and spikes to rip and tear, the chimera in front of him soon becoming nothing more than a mangled, bloody mess. Only when it was nothing more than a pulpy mess, a gruesome monument to his vengeance, did he pause.
Gently, his movements surprisingly tender despite the bloodlust still coursing through him as he scooped up Alice's small, pain filled form. He rushed towards the merchant's store, ignoring the ongoing battle, the screams of the remaining monsters and the shouts of his allies. Nothing mattered but getting her to safety.
Inside, he carefully laid her down, a silent promise that she would be safe here. He softly stroked her hair, a futile attempt to comfort her, but watched helplessly as her face contorted in pain. A wave of crushing guilt washed over him. This was his fault; he hadn't stepped in when he should have, too scared to take a person's life. But self-loathing could wait. Right now, he had a point to make and needed to fix this.
Storming back out, his eyes fell on Z, who had been observing the carnage with a mixture of fear and irritation. John let out a harsh "Tsk." "Guess you aren't good for anything," he snarled, his voice laced with venom. "You get all angry, but that's all you can do. Just go watch over Alice. That way you can prove to be useful." He fixed her with a searing glare, receiving a heated one back that quickly faltered, morphing into wide, understanding eyes at seeing the mix of guilt and rage, giving him a firm nod as they retreated into their shop. Fear or not, Z would protect Alice.
All this while, Ash's clone continued her desperate fight but seemed to be tiring. Her body was drenched in sweat and blood. Her axe, too unwieldy for her current exhaustion, was discarded. Instead, she seemed to materialize swords one after another, cutting through the encroaching foes with a fading, frantic energy, even managing to fell a hulking monstrosity before getting caught in the side and dispelling.
As that happened the original, face strained and dripping sweat finished, a giant golden axe seemed to impose itself over her own that she swung down, heat and light seemed to sweep out in front of them, destroying a large patch of the ground, bodies and enemies with it. "Get the hell out of there and get the others! Why the fuck do we have our group of fighters if they're not going to be helping when it's really needed!" John roared at her, his voice cutting through the din of battle getting a tired but satisfied salute from her as she shouted out "Praise the sun." before turning her collar back on well panting, even so she gave him a worried look as he rejoined the fray, a singular figure against a tide of remaining monsters. No humans remained among their enemies now, only various grotesque chimeras and hulking beasts, many now mutated with additional claws and arms but also burnt and steaming.
His command, forceful and unexpected momentarily stunned Ash though. But she snapped back to attention very quickly, knowing he was right and she needed to recover, she hadn't taken out as many as she had hoped and realized she had wasted time and energy on an attack that was turned out to be more show than effect. Materializing a three-pronged kunai, she hurled it at a distant structural base, disappearing in a flash of yellow light, leaving John alone to face them. Before him still sat at least seven chimeras of varying sizes and grotesque shapes, six hulking beasts, some now sporting wicked claws and extra limbs, not to mention the madly laughing 'Gin' and his personal hulk, watching with sick amusement, a arm missing and faintly smoking but otherwise unharmed.
"Outnumbered and outgunned, up shit creek without a paddle," John bellowed, his voice raw but unwavering as he stared at the madman. "But you know what? I refuse to go down here! I still have far too much to do to let fallout rejects take me down!" He took his hammer from his waist, the heavy weapon feeling like an extension of his wrath, chains rattling angrily as he charged forward as best he could into the monstrous mass.
His chains became a maelstrom of steel, sparking against armored hides, ripping claws and spikes alike from his various foes as they tore through anything in their path. The hammer descending in heavy swings, shattering the leg of a hulker before delivering a skull-splitting blow to its head.
But his foes were far from idle. A chimera, seemingly composed of corrupted magic users spewed torrents of fire well launching searing bolts from behind. Another pair seemed to angrily fire razor-sharp spikes at him as the hulking forms moved with terrifying speed for their size slammed their meaty hammers against John, knocking him violently into the flames and other projectiles that the chimera's fired off. A scream of pure agony tore from him as fire seared his skin and spikes embedded into his flesh but he didn't care, all he wanted was for them to die and be destroyed.
He impacted heavily onto the ground only to be violently kicked by another hulker as he began to try and get up, the kick sending him rolling further across the ground as his hammer slipped from his grip. Slowly and painfully, he forced himself upright, using his chains as support even well each movement brought a fresh wave of agony. His face a mask of cuts and bruises as blood streamed down from a large gash on his head, stinging his eyes and blurring his vision. His dead arm hung at an unnatural angle and one leg shook uncontrollably as it sent searing pain if he applied even the slightest pressure.
Yet through his rage he forced himself forward once more. Four of his chains anchored him, while the others snaked out, gripping a hulker before pulling and tearing at it till one of its hammer-arm's ripped free, the rest of its body eviscerated.
With immense effort and the aid of his chains he grabbed the torn-off arm before using it as a makeshift weapon against the rest, smashing a chimera that lunged close, but not before one of its barbed tongues managed a small, venomous cut on his cheek. The pain was immediate, a sharp burning agony that intensified his rage. The knowledge that such a small cut could cause this much suffering only amplified his fury, picturing Alice's far greater torment after the repeated strikes that landed against her.
With a guttural roar, he sent his chains sprawling around him, eviscerating the remains of the chimera along with another four and even two more hulkers. A claw-hulker rushed him, its massive talons plunging into his side and narrowly missing his vitals. Growling, John clenched his teeth before gripping the claw, using his chains to slice it off the hulker's arm, eliciting a bestial shriek of pain before, with a savage pull, he ripped the severed limb free and plunged it into the beast's head as revenge. His own blood, however was now flowing out faster like a dark crimson river.
His vision began to swim even worse than before, the world blurring into a kaleidoscope of red and black as he swayed. His body felt heavier and heavier with each thudding heartbeat echoing in his ears but he refused to fall, refused to yield. Faintly, through the haze of pain and exhaustion he heard a commotion drawing closer. The very air crackling with a static charge as a massive bolt of lightning shot past him, striking a hulker that was about to bring its hammer-fist down on his head. The creature instantly turning into a charred, smoking husk as it collapsed backwards, surprisingly not dead but instead incapacitated.
The last thing John saw before the encroaching darkness claimed him was the ground itself rising up, swirling and wrapping around him as it pulled him into its earthen embrace. Soon after all he knew was blackness.