Hi Guys, It's been a while since the last chapter, but that's because several big things happened these last three months. First, there was obviously Space Marine 2. Then, sometime after that, I got sick with pneumonia and was too sick to work on the chapter, but now I'm feeling much better. But then my parents got sick after a visit to New Jersey, so I had to take care of them around the house which also stalled everything else. That and work got in the way as usual.

The last thing that happened was I took another look at my story and decided to do some...restructuring. I've been viewing some comments praising the story for its shift to the seinen genre and over time, I've slowly begun to embrace that trope so I decided to focus more on the adult characters as the story progresses. I do have a fondness for Izuku and his friends but their adolescent mindset would not last long against the forces of Hell.

This essentially means that once we reach the Eternal Saga, the Heroes in training will be shunted to the side to make way for the professionals to take center stage. Izuku and the others won't accompany the Slayer to the DOOM universe, the adult Heroes we all wished got more time in the limelight will fight alongside him. The way I see it, the teenage cast had their time to shine in the canon manga, let the adults have a turn in this story. But that doesn't mean I'll completely forget about Izuku and his friends, they'll have some moments here and there.

So before I close this off, let me say that Space Marine 2 is not only the best WH40K game since Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, it's the best game I've played all year. Concord crawled pathetically, then died, then got dragged into Commorragh to be emasculated by the Dark Eldar so Space Marine 2 could run a billion victory laps around its rotting corpse to show AAA developers how REAL gaming is done. Get off your butts and buy it NOW.

I know I previously said the Black Templars were my favorite Chapter but after discovering and reading up on Deathwatch, they are now my all-time favorite organization! Why settle for one Chapter when you could have all of them rolled into one and have the balls to use Xenos weaponry?

My Hero Academia, DOOM, and Darksiders belong to their respective owners. I do not own either of them.

Beta read by Zeroth 17.

On the Hunt

Part 4

MUSUTAFU-LOWER SOUTH SIDE

12:34 PM

A henchman patrolling the lush grounds around a high-class car dealership yawned sleepily as he drummed his fingers on the pistol holstered to his hip. He glanced up at the top floor of the two-story building; the sounds of a loud party going on inside could be heard. The guard grunted in discomfort as he waved the pink petals away from his face due to the cherry blossom trees dotting the area.

He leaned against one of the trees and checked his watch; grunting with a shake of his head."We shouldn't be dicking around like this, we got orders from All for One. At least have the courtesy to obey hi-"

The Villan was suddenly yanked into the bushes from behind and a loud snap followed by the tearing of flesh stained the cherry blossoms above in crimson fluids. The Doomslayer emerged from the bushes and snapped off a branch from the tree before flinging it towards another guard on the opposite end of the grounds. The tree limb speared into the back of his head and through his left eye socket; the body slumping onto the grass afterwards.

Taggart walked through the small park until he came to a lot where dozens of antique sports cars sat in their space with extravagant prices stamped onto the hoods. He glanced up at the intricately modeled car dealership as VEGA brought up info on their next target (which he gathered by hacking the computers inside). Fatal Ficus was a well-known car dealer under his assumed identity but was actually a notorious Villain. He would sell cars containing drugs to other Villains which in turn funded his covert criminal activities and since he was working for the LOV, some of that money received from the deals went to AFO as well.

VEGA accessed the interior cameras and his HUD showed the Villain and a bunch of his henchmen enjoying a party of sorts in a lavish lounge. Judging from what he heard the goon say earlier, the Slayer guessed that Fatal Ficus disobeyed AFO's orders to host a little shindig for his toadies while the rest of the gangs were busy attacking Heroes and law enforcement. Too bad his decision was going to bite him on the ass. Hard.

With VEGA's scans showing no other guards outside the building, the Doomslayer quickly made his way through the grounds and parking lot before coming to the front door. He pulled out his Super Shotgun, silently pushed the glass door open, and peered inside. Most of the lights were off in the reception area but some parts of the main interior showcasing all the luxury cars were still on. He entered the building, passed the receptionist's desk, and walked through the exhibition area. He kept his eyes peeled for any signs of armed guards.

It wasn't like him to take up stealth again but it helped add some variety to his little Villain hunt. He eventually came before a set of stairs looping upwards around a large column with a dumbwaiter installed into the pillar's base. He could hear the sounds of a party going on upstairs and was about to ascend the stairs when he heard someone walking down the steps. With his previous instincts as a Special Forces soldier kicking in, Taggart backed away and ducked behind an antique 1995 Corvette.

A suit-wearing henchman with a goatee, fish-like scales around his neck and wrists, and a surly demeanor stomped down the stairs towards a set of double doors near the cafeteria. "What the hell is taking those dumbasses so long?" He grumbled to himself as he kicked open the doors. The Slayer narrowed his eyes.

"HEY! SLOP SLINGERS! WHAT'S THE FUCKIN' HOLDUP?" The goon shouted to a group of frightened chefs within the establishment's kitchen. Five chefs were frantically trying to cook a meal for the gang upstairs. They had already prepared appetizers along with a wine bucket filled with ice and champagne but the main course was taking longer than expected.

"We're going as fast as we can!" The head chef, a tall yet slightly overweight man with porcine features hurried with his culinary task. "This is a difficult meal to prepare!"

"Not my damn problem. Hurry up or the boss is going to get pissed." The criminal snorted as he started to head for the door.

"Well, what more do you want from us?!" The head chef finally mustered the courage to snap at the Villain. "Your boss works us all half to death, he won't let any of us go back to our homes, and he constantly-!"

"I'm sorry, is that the sound of someone who wants to see their little girl in tomorrow's obituaries?" The thug threateningly intoned as he held a hand up to his ear. The head chef instantly went silent. Then, he hung his head in defeat with a look of anguish; the other chefs had the same reaction.

The henchman turned around and walked back to the head chef with a victorious grin. "That's what I thought." He said snidely and he smacked him across the face. The chef felt tears well up in his eyes from the sting of the smack but suddenly donned an expression of shock when he saw someone silently enter the kitchen and close in on the Villain from behind...

"The same goes for the rest of your staff, fatty. We know where all your families are and if none of you play ball, they get axed. We own you-" The henchman's rant was cut short when the Slayer grabbed him by the back of the neck and plunged his head right into a nearby deep fryer! The goon flailed and thrashed his arms; his head submerged in boiling oil as the Slayer held him down. The kitchen staff's screams of fright were thankfully drowned out by the party going on one floor up. Grabbing a butcher knife from a rack, Taggart plunged the blade down into the Villain's face and killed him instantly as the bubbling brown oil turned a dark shade of crimson. The Slayer released the dead Villain and the body crumpled to the ground; his head was a horrifically burned mess with a knife sticking out of his forehead.

"Oh my God...y-y-y-you're him!" The Doomslayer heard a frightened voice from behind. He glanced at the group of chefs huddled together as they cowered in fear before him. There were five of them dressed in white cooking attire and there were noticeable bags under their eyes, a sign that they were being overworked. His attention turned to who he assumed to be the head chef: a large, portly man with a pig's nose, pig ears, and bushy black eyebrows. The Slayer took one step towards them and they all jumped back in fright.

"NO NO NO, PLEASE! We're not with them!" The head chef frantically exclaimed, holding up his hands. "My name is Haruo Matsumoto! My staff and I were forced to work for them!"

"/Would you care to elaborate?/"

Briefly startled by the artificial voice coming from the Vigilante, Haruo swallowed before speaking. "Fatal Ficus heard about how successful my catering service was and we were hired two months ago. But since then, he won't let us return to our families because his men are watching them! If we don't keep up with his demands or even try to go to the authorities, he'll have them killed! We've been held hostage ever since."

The Slayer understood their plight. He glanced up at the ceiling as the party went on unabated upstairs.

"/Has Fatal Ficus recalled all of his men here?/"

"Y-Yes." Haruo nodded. "He suddenly wanted to host a party, so he called everyone working for him to join."

"/Then there is nobody to threaten your families right now. We have terminated the guards patrolling the building outside, please vacate the premises out the front door in a calm and organized manner./"

The eyes of Haruo and his staff widened as they slowly realized that this was their chance to finally be free from Fatal Ficus and return to their families. While most of them were hesitant that their savior was a violent madman who decimated I-Island, they were nonetheless indebted to him for freeing them. "But-but what if they try to come after us again?" One chef asked, holding up a finger. The Slayer slowly turned his head at the man who gulped.

"/They won't./"

Haruo felt himself grow queasy when he knew from that statement alone that the Vigilante would horribly butcher Fatal Ficus and his gang just like he did to the Steel Sabers. But he wasn't going to let this one chance for him and his staff to escape slip past his fingers so with a shaky nod to his staff, they quickly and quietly moved past the Slayer and out the door. As the group made a break for the front entrance, Taggart glanced over to the wine bucket and hatched an idea. He took out the wine bottle, dumped out the ice, and placed several of his grenades into the bucket.

He then grabbed a bag of ice on the counter and dispensed it into the bucket to conceal the grenades at the bottom, followed by placing the wine bottle on top of the ice and then tying the decorative string attached to the bottle around the pin on one of the hidden grenades. As much as he wanted to use the improvised bomb he nabbed at the Insecticides hideout, it probably wouldn't fit in the wine bucket and he didn't want to waste it on simple crooks.

The Doomslayer exited the kitchen and back into the exhibition area; heading over to the column with the dumbwaiter. He placed the booby-trapped wine bucket inside and hit the button where it was sent up to the party above. He went up the stairs around the column and stopped halfway up the steps, waiting for his chance to strike. Flynn caught a glimpse of one of the thugs walking down the stairs and he swiftly grabbed him by the neck and swung him down onto the railing, snapping his spine in half.

As the dead goon comically slid down the railing, the Doomslayer drew his HAR and a hologram projector while waiting for the trap to be sprung. Soon enough, several loud explosions rocked the building as the music was cut off and replaced with the dying screams of Villains. The Slayer threw down the projector and raced up the stairs just as the hologram activated which followed him. The Slayer arrived at the top floor along with the hologram and they wasted no time gunning down the disoriented Villains in a blaze of gunfire.

The room was a mess with scattered furniture on fire, bodies of criminals ripped apart by the explosions, shattered drink glasses, smoke, and debris. Though some Villains were away from the blast and managed to survive, they had no time to recover from their concussions as fifty caliber FMJ rounds tore through their bodies. The Bane of Hell and the hologram swept throughout the room, shooting any Villains who were downed or tried to fight back. The explosion had taken out the bulk of the gang who had Quirks, leaving only ones who were Quirkless to grab whatever handgun they had on their person and fire at the pair. But the bullets ineffectually shattered against the Slayer's armor or went right through the hologram as they were put down like rabid dogs in a burst of heavy gunfire.

Eight criminals crammed into the elevator at the far end of the room in an attempt to escape but it was for naught when the Slayer fired a stream of micro missiles at them just before the elevator doors shut, blowing them all apart in the tightly packed space and sending the damaged elevator hurtling down to the ground floor. In just a few short seconds, The Slayer and the VEGA-controlled hologram had eliminated everyone in the room until Fatal Ficus suddenly sprang up from behind the couch with a shotgun and blasted the projector on the floor, causing the hologram to vanish. The Slayer glared at the Villain, a stocky man with wooden skin and a bushy beard made out of ficus leaves wearing a grey suit and pants, and stomped towards him as he put away his HAR. Ficus shot at the Slayer with his scattergun over and over to no effect until he switched to launching a stream of razor-sharp leaves from his beard at him.

The Slayer could only raise an eyebrow as the leaves pelted against his armor. Panicking, Fatal Ficus tried to flee but the Slayer nabbed him by the neck and shoved him up against the wall. Ficus transformed his fingers into wooden stakes and thrust them at the Doomslayer's head but he thwarted his attack by grabbing his wrist. The Greatslayer ripped off his hand, eliciting a scream of agony from the Villain, and then shoved the pointed stakes right into Ficus' groin.

"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGG!" Fatal Ficus howled, his voice rising in pitch right up until the Slayer extracted the Villain's hand and shoved the wooden stake right up into his throat which speared into the roof of his mouth. The Villain uttered a death gurgle as he slumped to the floor, another victim of the Slayer's wrath. Taggart cracked his neck; now there was only one more gang to go and he'd ruin AFO's plans for Musutafu. As he made his way over to the stairs, he caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye.

He went over to a small office, most likely belonging to Fatal Ficus, over on the right side of the room and entered through the shattered glass door. The desk and chairs were flipped over from the explosion but at the end of the room was a terrarium that held a hissing cobra. But what caught his attention was the black and white rabbit in the corner of the terrarium, shaking like a leaf. The cobra was poised to strike and the Slayer bolted towards the terrarium, smashing his fist through the glass and grabbing the snake by the neck. It hissed at him but the Doomslayer snapped its neck with a flick of his thumb and tossed the dead reptile away. Clearing away the broken glass, Flynn checked up on the rabbit which was thankfully unharmed but frightened from the chaos.

In an extremely rare display of tenderness, the Doomslayer slowly extended a hand toward the rabbit in a non-threatening gesture. The rabbit shivered with fright until the Slayer gently petted its back. He stroked its fur as its shaking slowly subsided and switched to scratching its chin. The rabbit nuzzled against his hand affectionately, unintentionally triggering past memories for the Hellwalker...

EARTH-SUN VALLEY, IDAHO

TAGGART RESIDENCE-MANY EONS AGO

"A rabbit? You want Billy's first pet to be a rabbit?" Emily chuckled as she rummaged through the kitchen pantry.

"Why not? They're low maintenance, quiet, great with kids and they can live as long as cats if you take care of them right." Flynn explained as he grabbed a head of lettuce and plucked off a piece of it.

"But they still poop." Emily added humorously.

"They're just pellets." Flynn scoffed with a wave of his hand. "But honestly, I think it will be great for Billy. Daisy is still a kit so she'll be with our son for most of his life so it all works out if you think about it."

Emily smiled warmly as she ran a hand across her stomach, now four months pregnant with their child. "Well, you're the rabbit expert. If you think Daisy will be a good companion for our son, then I'm behind that one hundred percent."

Taggart smiled with a nod before heading into the living room. Curled up on the couch was Daisy, his pet rabbit, snoozing comfortably. He clicked his tongue and Daisy stirred awake; ears twitching as she instantly sighted the leaf of lettuce Taggart had in his hand. Hopping over, Daisy nibbled on the lettuce leaf as Flynn patted her head. "Just you wait, girl. You're going to have a little brother soon."

MUSUTAFU-LOWER SOUTH SIDE

PRESENT DAY-12:59 AM

The Doomslayer closed his eyes as hard as he could. He had felt pain before; mostly when fighting against incredibly powerful Demons. But the memories of his life before his battle against Hell hurt the most. He noticed a chalkboard next to the terrarium that had three tally marks of how many rabbits were fed to the cobra written upon it. A part of him wished he could bring Fatal Ficus back to life so he could kill him a thousand more times. The Slayer picked up the rabbit with one hand and went back to the stairs in silence.

A distance away from the car dealership, two students from Shinketsu High School ran down the sidewalk as quickly as they could. "There! I swear, I heard gunfire coming from somewhere around that spot!" Inasa Yoarashi said as he pointed at the car dealership up ahead.

"Are you, like, sure we wanna be divin' right into the thick of it?" Camie wondered as she ran alongside her boyfriend. "We totes should've asked Seiji or Mora to come help."

"They have their hands full helping out some sidekicks. And besides, we've got this covered." He then spun around to give Camie a thumbs up with his trademark, hot-blooded grin. "Villains will think twice when they try to go up against Shinketsu's top students!"

Camie sweatdropped. "That smile's kinda cringe, babe."

"Oh, come on! Let's just see what's wrong!" Inasa quickly replied as he and Camie arrived at the dealership. The first thing they saw was smoke rising from the shattered windows of the building and a bunch of people dressed in white peering out from behind a tree.

"Huh, they look like chefs." Camie tapped her chin. "Kinda sus if you ask me."

Inasa narrowed his eyes at the suspicious situation and crossed the sidewalk to the lush grounds near the dealership. As soon as he neared the group, he cleared his throat to get their attention. "Excuse me, guys? Do you mind telling me what's going on here?"

The chefs were momentarily startled as they turned around to see the two teens before them. "A-are you two Heroes?" One of them asked.

"Duh!" Camie replied as she pointed to herself and Inasa."Are you guys in trouble or something?"

The chefs glanced at each other, unsure of how to tell them that they had already been saved. Not by a Hero but rather from an insanely violent Vigilante that, if the news reports could be believed, could hold his own against multiple top-ranked Pro Heroes and All Might himself. "Um...we were taken hostage by Villains; this was their hideout-"

"Villains?! Where?!" Inasa suddenly shouted, winds billowing around his body as everyone shielded themselves from the sudden gusts of wind.

"Woah! Little quick to the trigger there, babe!" Camie complained as she tried to keep her hat on.

"Wait a sec!" Haruo came forward. "We're okay. We were already saved; it was-" He was cut off when the sounds of heavy footsteps cut through the air. They were at a steady pace, slowly approaching the group as a cold chill washed over them all. Inasa and Camie turned around and saw to their shock the Vigilante responsible for butchering the Steel Sabers and destroying I-Island. Camie fearfully backed away while Inasa immediately ceased using his wind Quirk, his bravado replaced by near-pants-wetting terror. He drew closer, his bloodstained visage coming into view and further scaring the two teens...until their fear switched to confusion when they saw the small, black and white rabbit nestled in his hand.

The Slayer grew annoyed at the sight of yet another group of Heroes here to "stop" him. The boy was a somewhat tall and well-built young man with steely eyes who wore a heavy burgundy coat and pants, a heavy glove on his right hand, and multiple propulsion mechanisms around his feet and arms. The girl was quite curvaceous for someone her age and had light brown hair, large eyes, and glossy lips. Her...attire did not leave much up to the imagination, consisting of a black catsuit with a zipper running down the middle to expose her cleavage and white-heeled knee-high boots. One thing that the two had in common was the black hats they wore with an S symbol imprinted on them. VEGA scanned them for info as usual.

Inasa Yoarashi

Height: 6'3

Age: 17

Alias: Gale Force

Quirk: Whirlwind-Grants him the ability to manipulate air currents for offensive purposes and can also use them to fly.

Current Status: 3rd-year student at Shinketsu High School.

Camie Utsumishi

Height: 5'3

Age: 17

Alias: Illus-o-Camie

Quirk: Glamour-Allows her to breathe mist-like vapors capable of creating visual, auditory, and sensory illusions.

Current Status: 3rd-year student at Shinketsu High School.

The Doomslayer turned to the chefs and nodded to them, his way of expressing his satisfaction that they were safe. Haruo nodded back shakily as his entourage hid behind him. He strode past Inasa and Camie to his Rampart which was parked nearby, ready to take out the last gang-

"Hold it!" A loud voice made him stop in his tracks out of annoyance. He slowly looked over his shoulder at Inasa who was in a combat stance and had a cocky grin on his face. The Slayer gave him a lazy, uninterested glare. He wondered if this kid truly believed he could take him on or if he was just plain stupid. He could feel the rabbit paw his hand and decided that he had to leave the rabbit behind, even though he did not wish to part with it. Taggart had to drop it off somewhere safe since he was pressed for time but finding a place for it was something he did not have an answer for. But his gaze did linger on the hothead daring to fight him...

"If you think we're gonna let a headcase like you roam free, think again!" Inasa boldly proclaimed as the wind started to pick up again. "So bring it on-!"

"WOAH! No!" Camie uncharacteristically exclaimed as she grabbed Inasa by his enlarged glove. "Nopenopenopenopenope we are not doing this!"

"Wha-?! Camie what the hell?!" Isana tripped over his words. "We can't let this nut walk away!"

"Dude, I'm serious, this guy looks like he's DTFSU for realsies." Camie replied in a very serious tone which was a stark contrast to her normally ditzy personality.

"Wait! He saved us!" Haruo called out to the pair. They looked at him in confusion as he began to explain. "Like we said, we were held hostage because Villains were threatening our families. But he rescued all of us and protected our loved ones by wiping out the whole gang. As violent as he is he's...our Hero."

Flynn had no idea how to feel about that. Calling him a Hero was a stretch and he certainly didn't see himself as one either. Inasa and Camie did a double-take between the chef and the Vigilante, utterly dumbfounded at how anyone could call this man a Hero. Before they could react, the Slayer grabbed Inasa by the hand and gently placed the rabbit onto his palm. Inasa jumped a little before glancing down at the small animal in his oversized glove that was looking up at him with its adorable beady eyes. The Slayer turned around and went back over to his motorcycle, confident that the rabbit would be safe in Inasa's hands...even though the boy looked and acted like an idiot.

He got on his ride and drove off into the night unhindered. As everyone watched him drive away down the road, Inasa could only blink with a stupefied expression. Camie appeared the same before she glanced down at the rabbit curled up in Inasa's hand and smiled, petting its head.

"Yo, this little guy is totes cute."

MUSUTAFU-LOWER SOUTH SIDE

1:17 AM

Papa Prism anxiously drummed his fingers on the counter of the bar and he silently muttered complaints under his breath. He was an old man in his 60s with pointed gray hair that stood out in three tufts and wore a multicolored suit and pants along with fashionable dress shoes. His arms were made of a three-dimensional geometric glass material which was a result of his Quirk. It granted him the ability to reflect light off his hands and transform them into deadly rainbow-colored beams powerful enough to cut through solid steel.

He was a veteran Villain who ran an extortion racket from his four-story restaurant; the largest, most opulent in Musutafu that catered to only the highest-paying customers. Of course, much like Fatal Ficus' car dealership, it was a front for his activities. His successful streak of extortions eventually became threatened when law enforcement caught onto his actions but All for One was there to lend a hand. There was only one condition though: Papa Prism had to pledge loyalty to AFO if he wanted his help. Prism agreed and AFO had some crooked cops under his thrall take over the investigation and sweep it under the rug.

But that brought little relief to Papa Prism who was terrified of the Symbol of Despair and spent nearly every day of his life sucking up to him. He knew that failing AFO would be a death sentence and it was on this night that Papa Prism was seating bullets. He had received a message from his villainous superior to cause as much chaos around Musutafu with his men to strike a blow to Hero Society as a result of the Pro Hero shortage stemming from the I-Island Siege. They were originally going to head out when they got the signal, the sounds of explosions and gunfire all across the city along with a news report of the bedlam on TV, but it was oddly quiet.

So now Papa Prism and his men (around sixty or so) were all gathered on the top floor penthouse, wondering what was happening and if they should act. Prism had already finished his fifteenth cigarette and tossed it into the overflowing ashtray as one of his men approached him.

"Boss? We tried calling Don Puru but nobody's answering." He reported.

"Did you try Boiling Point or Skullbash yet?" Papa Prism irately responded.

"We tried calling them along with Fatal Ficus, Multikill, and all the others, but it's the same. No one's picking up the phone." The henchman responded before Papa Prism let out an angry snarl and threw his ashtray at the wall, causing his men to flinch.

"GODDAMNIT!" Prism cursed as he slammed his fist on the counter. "What the hell is taking them so long?! Don't they know they got orders from the big man himself? Don't they know what will happen if they disobey him?!"

"Do you think they are trying to turn on All for One?" One goon guessed aloud.

Papa Prism glared at his henchman incredulously. "What are you, retarded? None of those shmucks have the balls to turn their backs on someone like him."

"Well, maybe they are." The henchman nearest to Prism shrugged, earning a deadly glare from the elderly Villain. "But if we went out now, then we'd look like we're the ones still with AFO so I think we're safe if we did."

Papa Prism grabbed the henchman by the collar of his suit and dragged him down so they were at eye level. "You stupid fuck. You honestly think that's going to be enough to convince him I'm still playing ball? All for One can't afford any more failed plans after I-Island so if this one goes up in flames, SO WILL I!" He then pointed his finger dangerously close to his toadie's eye, his glass finger glowing an ominous rainbow color. "SO DON'T THINK WE'RE SAFE, PRAY WE'RE SAFE BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE OUR HEADS ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK IF-!

Papa Prisim's furious tirade was silenced when the sounds of errant, muffled gunfire were heard; it seemed to be coming from the ground floor of the restaurant.

"The fuck is that?!" Prism grunted as he let go of his goon and grabbed the remote on the counter. He pointed it at the TV hanging from the ceiling and it turned on to reveal security camera footage of the downstairs floor. Everyone gasped when the screen showed dozens of Prism's men who were guarding the ground floor and the entrance were all lying dead on the floor in pieces while the mahogany doors were kicked down; shattered like dead wood. Papa Prism frantically switched the footage to the hallway cameras which showed more dead bodies and blood covering the hallways.

He changed the footage one last time to show the elevator lobby and what he saw almost made his heart stop. Standing before the elevator doors and pressing one of the buttons was the Vigilante responsible for destroying the Steel Sabers along with most of I-Island with a severed head firmly clutched in his hand. The Vigilante slowly glared up at the camera behind him and threw the head at it, cutting off the footage. The elevator door at the other end of the room let out a dinging noise, signaling that the Vigilante was on his way right now.

"LET'S GET HIM BEFORE HE GETS OFF THE ELEVATOR!" Papa Prism shouted at his assembled crew as they all sprang into action. The henchman gathered up all of the weapons they would've used for their raid on Musutafu and took positions in front of the elevator doors. Papa Prism went over to a dimmer knob and twisted it to brighten the overhead lights. His arms glowed a rainbow color from the bright lights and he joined his men in front of the elevator, making a finger gun gesture with both hands. The position indicator above the elevator door lit up with the floor number and a ding noise. Everyone tensed up as it was now on the second floor.

Another ding. Third floor. The men grit their teeth, their fingers slowly pressing down on the triggers. As soon as the last ding sounded, the men opened fire upon the elevator; bullets, shells, and prism lasers perforating the doors like swiss cheese. They continued to spray the door with gunfire and lasers for a full minute until they ran out of ammo and had to reload their weapons. There was silence as they stared at the riddled elevator door, their guns still pointed at it. Papa Prism turned to two of his goons and motioned his head over to the elevator. The two criminals went over to the elevator and positioned themselves on each side.

With a nod to each other, the henchmen hit the button to open the doors and the Villians prepared to fire again...but there was nobody within the elevator. No body, no blood, nothing: just bullet holes and seared metal. As everyone blinked in confusion, the floor in the back of the penthouse exploded outwards, blasting apart several men in the explosion! Papa Prsim and his men were blown back from the force of the blast just as the Vigilante hauled himself out of the hole with some kind of rocket launcher in his free hand!

The Doomslayer never took the elevator: he knew they were waiting for him so he had the empty elevator go up to the fourth floor while he took the stairs up to the third floor for a surprise attack. As soon as he heard them fall for the trap, he drew his Rocket Launcher and fired at the ceiling to provide him access to the penthouse and take out a few of them in the process. Now it was on to eliminating them. He rushed over to the nearest disoriented Villain and rammed his fist through his chest before flinging the dead body at an antique jukebox, the impact switching it on and playing music.

(No Satisfaction-The Rolling Stones)

The rest of the gang scrambled back onto their feet and fired at the Slayer who witched to his Plasma Rifle and returned fire, killing several Villains to build up a charge for his Heat Blast. A large crook brought his hands together and they transformed into a steel plow with spikes protruding from it and he charged at the Slayer with a yell. Unluckily for him, the Hellwalker had already fully charged his Heat Blast as soon as the Villain closed the distance, the Slayer pulled the trigger and the pressurized heat wave turned the attacking goon into bloody mush, most of it splashing against his armor. The heat wave also liquified any criminals within range, melted the surroundings of the penthouse, and shattered the room-length windows.

He vaporized a few more scumbags before putting away his Plasma Rifle and advanced towards the panicking Villains who were still shooting at him. Most of the shots were missing him by a mile, apparently none of them ever went to a shooting range. He grabbed one Villain and tore him in half before vaulting over the bar counter and grabbing two wine bottles. He broke them and charged at the crooks, slicing and stabbing them with the sharpened ends of the broken bottles. It was a flurry of bloodshed: he went from bad guy to bad guy, flensing through their ranks with frightening ease as the music from the jukebox continued to play.

Papa Prism clapped his hands together and fired a continuous beam of energy at the Slayer's back as he was busy gutting a Villain. The beam struck him but did not damage his suit in the slightest as the Slayer glared at Prism over his shoulder. As the beam continued to pulse against his armor, the Doomslayer threw the broken bottles at two Villains on opposite sides of him; one stabbed into a goon's throat while the second bottle was lodged deep into the other's eyesocket. He pivoted around, drew his Combat Shotgun, and launched an explosive shot at the lights above, having already deduced that the Villain was drawing his power from the lights. The explosion destroyed the lights and the rainbow beam dissipated, nearly plunging the whole room into darkness save for the full moon casting an eerie glow through the broken windows.

Taggart blasted scores of crooks without mercy as they fired back at him with some attempting to flee. He fired another explosive shot at a fleeing group, blowing them apart into chunky gibs before blasting the leg off another Villain and finishing him off with a shot to the head. A burly Villain with curved blades jutting out of his knuckles swung his fist at him but the Slayer smashed the stock of the Combat Shotgun into his face so hard, that it split apart the Villain's jaw and caved his face inwards. Another henchman rushed at him, firing a semiautomatic rifle at him but the Slayer ripped it out of his grasp, tearing the Villain's hands off in the process! The Doomslayer put away his Combat Shotgun and started clubbing the handless Villain with his relived weapon. Each impact crushed the Villain's skull and sent blood and pieces of his flesh scattering across the floor. Once the asshole's head looked like a smashed watermelon, the Doomslayer threw the now-bent rifle at one of the henchmen; impaling him into a wall before pulling out his Sawtanas and charging into the fray once again.

Far away from the ensuing slaughter, Hawks flew through the skies above the city as fast as he could. Keigo's mind was frayed with stress and trepidation. Yo Shindo of Ketsubutsu Academy confirmed his worst fears: the Vigilante was on the loose in Musutafu. This was an absolute worst-case scenario. Japan was still reeling from the events on I-Island and could not afford another disaster that the Vigilante would bring about. He was exhausted due to assisting as many Heroes as he could clean up the mess that man had left in his wake. He had lost count of how many gangs were left reduced to piles of eviscerated corpses and didn't bother to guess the property damage costs stemming from each massacre. While some of Keigo knew the Vigilante wouldn't harm or kill anyone innocent, the fact that he pulverized any Hero who tried to stop him had him reconsidering his stance on him.

Suddenly, Hawks heard the sounds of gunfire and screaming somewhere far out in the distance. He ceased flying, flapping in place as he whipped around to locate the source of the noises. He eventually spotted a four-story building from far away and could faintly see brief flashes from within the darkened building accompanied by gunfire. Hawks felt his hair stand on end and a ball of ice formed in his stomach. The Vigilante was probably there already, killing another gang in hiding. That brought another problem to the forefront: there were so many gangs he had no idea were hiding in plain sight, all of them gathered in large numbers and armed to the teeth. However, the Vigilante eliminated them all before they could enact whatever dastardly scheme they assembled for.

But what were those gangs planning and how did the Vigilante find them? There was no time to ponder any of those questions as he flew towards the building as fast as he could, even though he knew he would not make it in time.

The Doomslayer slashed open the stomach of a henchman, leaving him to clutch his spilling guts before throwing the Sawatana into his chest like a javelin and sending him catapulting into the jukebox. As the music went dead, he grabbed a Villain who tried to run by the neck, slammed him down onto the counter, and plunged his other Sawtana down into his mouth. As gore sprayed up into the Slayer's visor, Papa Prism and his last two henchmen made a break for the steps that led up to his office. "KILL THE SUNOVABITCH!" Prism shouted at one of his men as he and the other goon ran into the office and slammed the door. Glaring at the stairway, the Doomslayer ripped the Sawtana out of the dead Villian and stashed it back into his hammerspace backpack before stomping towards the dumbass guarding the door.

The henchman, a green-skinned individual with sharpened bones growing out of his elbows, flexed his fingers and a pair of razor-sharp glaives made out of solid bone formed in his palms. "It's just you and me, man!" The Villian challenged, clutching his glaives. "LET'S GO-"

Flynn whipped out his Chaingun outfitted with the Mobile Turret mod and unleashed a storm of lead at the Villian, mulching him in seconds and setting his dead body on fire. He stepped over the steaming remains and marched up the stairs to his quarry. Inside Papa Prism's office, his henchman had blocked the door with an overturned bookcase as his boss ran to his desk and picked up the phone.

"What are you doing?" The goon asked as he pushed the bookcase up against the door as hard as he could.

"I'm calling the cops." Papa Prism quickly answered, fumbling with the receiver.

"You're what?!"

"I'M CALLING THE FUCKING COPS!"

Before Papa Prism could dial the number, the door was riddled with a literal storm of incendiary rounds that shredded the door and bookcase apart along with the henchman; his upper half vaporized into a fine mist. The remains of the door, furniture, and henchman were set ablaze as the dreaded Vigilante emerged from the wreckage; an oversized minigun smoking in his grasp. Papa Prsim soiled himself as he dropped the phone and held up his hands. "W-WAIT! WE CAN TALK THIS OUT! I CAN CUT A DEAL-!"

The Slayer swapped out the Chaingun for his Combat Shotgun again and blasted Papa Prism in the chest, slam-firing his weapon repeatedly as chunks were blown out of the elderly Villain before the last shot detonated his head in a burst of blood and brain matter. As Prism's mutilated body fell to the ground, the Slayer pumped his shotgun in satisfaction, ejecting a spent shell as he did. He walked around the desk and stared at the bloody corpse staining the tacky carpet that probably cost thousands of yen.

/All targets terminated. With no way to cause chaos in Musutafu, the remaining unidentified gang tasked by All for One to attack a target of opportunity cannot proceed with their orders and we have successfully ensured the safety of law enforcement and on-duty Heroes. Mission Complete./

Taggart couldn't help but smile. Oh, how he wished he could see the look on AFO's face...or whatever he looked like.

/I recommend we head back to our base and plan our next assault on All for One's operations./

Nodding, he put his Combat Shotgun away and turned to leave until he noticed a glass bowl filled with Skittles on the desk. He picked it up and dumped the contents onto Papa Prism's dead body in an act of spite before chucking it away. He went back down the stairs to the penthouse and walked over to the busted jukebox, yanking his other Sawtana out of a dead Villain.

/Incoming Hero./

The Slayer felt his eye twitch. He heard the sounds of flapping wings and glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Hawks fly through the broken window and land on the floor in a classic superhero pose. The Wing Hero straightened himself up and took a moment to take in the surroundings: despite the dark room, the moon in the background gave him enough light to make out the destroyed penthouse and the multitude of dismembered bodies strewn throughout the room. And over in the far corner, he could make out the unmistakable visage of the Vigilante, clutching what Hawks could only describe as a chainsaw katana dripping with blood that gave the Vigilante the appearance of a specter of death.

There was a very long pause as the two stared at each other. Keigo then broke the silence the only way he could."Hiya! Been a while, huh?"

To be continued...

And with that, the Slayer screws over AFO's plans royally!

The fights were inspired by Punisher 2004 and the heavily underrated Raw Deal. Hope they were a treat to read as I had fun writing them. One of the hardest things about this chapter was trying to capture Camie's unique way of speaking. If there is anything I could add or some good examples of how she would really speak, please let me know in the PM.

There will be more flashbacks of the Taggart's past, each one guaranteed to pull at the heartstrings. The next chapter will be the finale of the Warpath Arc and will not only feature a conversation between Hawks and the Slayer, but also your first look into MHA's version of Hell which we all know is based on Darksiders! I can't wait to show what I have in store for you all next year!

Do keep in mind that 2025 will be the year that Doom Dark Ages comes out and will be taking a hiatus from this to play it extensively. Until then, may you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Don't forget to review but please don't flame!