*In a Droopy Dog voice* Hello, all you happy people.

Nah, just kidding, I'm in great spirits. Hope 2025 is treating you all well. Welcome back to Unchained Predator and the finale of the Warpath Arc, everybody! Work's been exhausting for a while, so that's why it took so long. I also got hooked on Selaco and went on another Space Marine 2 binge. The newest update FINALLY lets me make lore-accurate Deathwatch units!

I've recently seen the gameplay trailer for DOOM: Dark Ages, and I can barely contain my excitement! I have some interesting plans for "Blob Maykr," if you guys catch my drift! While I am going to miss the Glory Kills from the first two games, it won't stop me from having a good time with it.

A bit of sudden news though, I may have to go on hiatus earlier than I thought because I'll be playing Killing Floor 3 a lot when it releases in March. I don't care what other people have been saying about it; I was giggling like a maniac as my team and I blasted Zeds left and right during the beta. And this is coming from a guy who's been a fan of the series since 2009.

Also, to the brainstormers in the comments, I will confirm that Miruko will NOT have devil powers, nor will Eri have angel powers. I just wanted to put that out there before the theories got out of control. Sorry.

Anyway, enough rambling from me, enjoy the finale of the Arc, everybody!

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

Beta-read by Zeroth17.

Chapter 38

Pieces to the Puzzle

"I may be on the side of the angels, but don't think for one second that I am one of them."

-Sherlock Holmes

MUSUTAFU-LOWER SOUTH SIDE

1:34 AM

Hawks half-expected the Vigilante to come charging towards him and pulverize him into a coma. Thankfully for him, the Vigilante stood as still as a statue in the ruined penthouse, glaring at him in silence. Keigo guessed that maybe the Vigilante was willing to hear him out and engage in a conversation...or at least let the AI do the talking. But Hawks needed to be very careful about what he had to say to the Vigilante as he had vividly remembered the sucker punch back on I-Island when he tried talking to him the first time around. This guy had a hair-trigger temperament and one wrong word would mean lights out for the Wing Hero.

"So, I take it you've been busy as of late?" Hawks spoke in a friendly tone. "Not just a few days after I-Island and you're already back at it, huh?"

There was no answer from the Vigilante, just pure silence. Hawks could tell that this was not off to a good start.

"You...uh, took down quite a lot of gangs. I kinda lost count of how many hideouts I found that had your handiwork written all over it." He continued, a slight bead of sweat running down the left side of his face.

Again, there was no answer from him. The only sound that came from the Vigilante was the steady dripping of blood from his chainsaw katana. This slowly eroded Keigo's composure as he was used to having someone respond to him. He was really wishing the Vigilante's AI would chime in right about now.

"...Gonna need a lot of seltzer and lemon juice to get those blood stains off your suit." Hawks gambled with his life.

The Doomslayer stashed his Sawtana away and walked towards the elevator, already bored with Hawks' pathetic attempts at small talk. A brief moment of panic flared within Keigo as he watched the Vigilante take his leave. He needed to get something out of him, anything if he wanted to have an inkling of what the Vigialte would do next or why he carried out this mass Villain culling. He rushed over to the Vigilante in a near-suicidal attempt to stop him from leaving.

"W-wait! I'm not here to fight you!" Hawks exclaimed. Taggart stopped in his tracks and glared at Hawks suspiciously.

"I mean it. I'm not here to fight. If All Might and forty-eight Pro Heroes couldn't beat you, then I have nothing to bring to the table. I just...want to talk." He explained, desperation creeping up in his voice. "I already know you can't or won't speak, so maybe have your AI friend do the talking?"

At first, a few seconds passed. The Slayer still stared at Hawks silently but then the TV on the wall switched itself on and showed the AI's insignia along with the familiar jingle.

"/Hello, Mr. Takami./"

"Uh, hey there...you. Haven't seen ya in a while!" Hawks greeted as he waved at the TV. Though he was putting on a friendly face, Keigo was a little unsettled that the AI knew his name. He attributed that to some hacking on the AI's end. The Slayer was intrigued that VEGA was willing to exchange information with the Hero but felt unsure if it was a good idea. Sharing information was one thing but he didn't want VEGA to divulge everything, namely the location of their secret hideout.

"/You wish to know why we attacked the city's Villain gangs. This was done as a preemptive measure to stop a mass assault upon Musutafu's Heroes and law enforcement./"

Hawks blinked, concern showing on his face. "Mass assault?"

"/The gangs were planning to eliminate numerous Heroes and police officers in a coordinated attack. Since the Heroes are still maintaining order in Musutafu, they would've been caught off guard. The damage and casualties from such a tactic could've been catastrophic./"

Hawks felt his legs go weak. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would've been like to see scores of Villain gangs raising hell across Musutafu and the Heroes and officers killed in the wake of their rampage. "We...we wouldn't have seen it coming..." He breathlessly muttered to himself before turning back to the TV. "How many gangs were in on this? How many did you eliminate?"

"/Twenty-two./"

His eyes widened in shock. "That many?! All in one night?!" That shouldn't have surprised Hawks since the Vigilante destroyed the Steel Sabers in one night too."But...but none of this makes sense..." He trailed off, staring down at the floor as he ran a hand through his messy hair. "Since when were they ever this organized? And what gave them so much confidence to try and attempt something like this?"

"/The gangs were acting under the orders of All for One./"

Keigo snapped his head up toward the TV, an expression of dread on his face.

"/The intention behind this was to create a distraction to hide their primary objective for an unidentified gang to attack. We discovered their plot by hacking their cell phones and terminating them before they could fulfill their orders./"

The Wing Hero processed what the AI had explained to him. "So you...you just saved us." Hawks spoke as he glanced at the Vigilante. "Dozens of Heroes and officers could have died and you...saved us again." The Doomslayer could see what appeared to be a forming smile on the Hero's face before it faded away just as quickly. "But you still kinda beat some of us up, though."

"/They were impeding our mission./"

Hawks audibly sighed through his nose; he wasn't going to start an argument with the AI's brutally cold logic. But one question came to mind. "What was their target? And who was this other gang?"

"/Currently unidentified. The information would have gone out once law enforcement had been fully crippled./"

"And they can't carry out the orders because the Heroes and cops aren't dead on account of you cleaning up house." He deduced, looking at the Vigilante. It was a smart, if not violent tactic but he wasn't going to admit that out loud. He turned towards the broken window, staring at the cityscape in the distance. "You know, it might not mean the end of our troubles with him. He could have more Villains working for him."

"/You are correct in that regard. All for One may have multiple cells operating in different parts of the country./"

"Given his influence, that doesn't surprise me." Hawks muttered to himself. The Slayer heard that and raised an eyebrow at him.

"/You are aware of All for One's infamy?/"

Hawks froze when he realized he had just accidentally let it slip that he knew more about AFO. He could feel the heated glare of the Vigilante upon him. Keigo gulped; there was no way he could try to change the subject without agitating the Vigilante. He sighed in defeat before speaking to them. "After your fight with All Might, he brought me along with a few others aside and told us about All for One. We know what his Quirk does, we know how dangerous he is, and we also know that he's been killing past users of a Quirk known as One for All."

"/Who else knows of this?/"

"Me, Miruko, three U.A. kids, and David Shield's daughter. Two HPSC officials, Eraserhead, and a third-year student at U.A. already know about All Might's identity and AFO." It wasn't like Keigo to hand out sensitive information like he was serving food but he figured it might build up some trust between him and the Vigilante. Taggart felt himself tense up a little when Hawks mentioned Rumi knowing about the whole conspiracy. It meant that they would eventually cross paths again when the time came to go after AFO.

"/Then you already know what All for One's plans are./"

"All Might didn't tell us what AFO's endgame is but since his power lets him steal other's Quirks, I'm guessing he wants One for All." Hawks surmised.

"/If he should acquire that Quirk, he could become a critical threat to the human race and potentially destroy civilization./"

"Yeah, that's a nightmare scenario I don't want to think about." Hawks admitted. He then looked at the Vigilante with a confused expression. "Wait, how do you know about-?"

"/We acquired the information on All for One and One for All by accessing David Shield's personal computer. We know everything./"

"...You're going to go after him next, aren't you?" Hawks guessed as he glanced up at the TV.

"/All for One's continued existence cannot be allowed; he must be terminated with extreme prejudice. We plan on drawing him out by destroying his operation and eliminating his men. This will force him to be coaxed out into the open so that we may terminate him./"

The Wing Hero swallowed lightly. Normally, he would suggest arresting a villain rather than killing them, but after everything he learned about All for One, he couldn't find any argument against that notion. He had his doubts about Yagi's claim to kill AFO due to his deteriorating health, and he doubted Izuku had the heart to do the job either. If there was one person on Earth that Keigo believed could finally put an end to AFO's generations-long reign of terror, it was the Vigilante...even though the armored juggernaut was going to leave heaps of dead Villains in his wake.

"Well... don't let me stop you." Hawks shrugged in defeat as he turned his attention back to the Vigilante. He meant what he said earlier: there was no way he could stop the Vigilante if he tried. But he had one more thing to say. "You know this won't exactly change everyone's opinion about you. People are still going to think you're a violent maniac."

There was a brief pause in the air before the TV began displaying what appeared to be first-person footage as if one was seeing the world through the eyes of the Vigilante. Keigo watched the TV, witnessing the Vigilante dispatch a group of thugs holding a woman hostage who enveloped him in a hug while thanking him profusely afterward. The footage showed more instances of the Vigilante's compassion: sparing a troubled youth, protecting Ms. Joke and her students, saving a group of chefs being held hostage, and finally rescuing a rabbit before handing it off to some Shinketsu students. Hawks found himself slowly smiling at each act of benignity from the Vigilante. After spending so long trying to figure out the Vigilante's mental state, Hawks now had a clearer picture of him. Perhaps something happened to the Vigilante in the past that made him so violent towards Villains, but he could still be merciful towards others who weren't on the wrong side of the law.

Seeing Takami get the message, the Slayer turned around and went back to the elevator.

"You know, Rumi had a high opinion of you back on I-Island after you saved her." Hawks spoke as he glanced at the Vigilante.

The Doomslayer stopped dead in his tracks.

"She said that you have a heart underneath all that armor, and I agreed with her. I'm happy to see that she wasn't wrong at all." The Hero said with a smile.

He remained still...

EARTH-MESQUITE, TEXAS

MANY EONS AGO

"Penny for your thoughts?" The bartender asked Taggart, never taking his eyes off the soccer game on the TV.

Flynn glanced up from his glass, the whiskey bottle untouched for a while. He was sitting in the local bar as night descended on the town, the clouds obscuring the stars in the sky. The bar was mostly empty aside from two other patrons way in the back.

"Been staring at your drink for a long time now, there's gotta be something on your mind." The bartender continued, grinning when he saw his team score another goal.

"Just searching for a good reason to take a swig. Don't mind me." Taggart reassured with a wave of his hand.

The bartender shrugged and went about his business. Flynn sighed through his nose as he stared down his empty shotglass. It was a bar mainly used for drowning your sorrows in booze or just wanting to forget about whatever problems life was kicking you in the balls with. For Taggart, it was the latter. He was in the throes of a tailspin: his life was seemingly going nowhere. Sure, he had a job, but there was no real goal or strive to do something more with his life, and he was now trapped in a mundane, boring, and tedious cycle of going through one tiring day at a time.

It was times like this that made him wonder if the trauma he received from his father was the cause of his apathy.

The sound of the bar's door opening did not stir him from his thoughts, but the woman who plopped herself down on the stool next to him did. She was around Flynn's age, had flowing blonde hair, and had beautiful cerulean eyes. She wore a sheepskin leather bomber jacket, a black T-shirt, tan pants, and simple black shoes.

"Uggggh...I fuckin' hate this town." She groaned as she buried her face in her arms. She sounded exhausted.

"Guess that makes two of us." Taggart unintentionally commented.

The woman looked up from her arms at Flynn and cracked a wry smile. "Well, small universe, huh?"

"What'll it be, ma'am?" The bartender came over.

"I'll have what he's having." The woman said as she grabbed the bottle of whiskey and a spare shot glass on the counter. "Put it all on my tab."

"Uh, that's alright, I can-" Taggart tried to speak until the woman held up a finger.

"Hey, don't sweat it. We both look like we could use a load off." The woman cheerfully poured herself a drink as the bartender went back to watching the TV. "So, town got you down too?"

Flynn glanced down at his empty glass. "You could say that. Too many bad memories."

"For me, it's a terrible job with an equally terrible boss." She remarked as she poured some whisky into his shot glass. "Overworked, browbeaten, and I can't quit because I have to pay the bills somehow."

"You have my sympathies," Flynn responded. He genuinely felt bad for this woman he had just met.

"Well, well, well. Look who's a big softie all of a sudden." She giggled.

Flynn was caught off guard, almost flushing with embarrassment. "I-I wouldn't say that-"

She threw her head back in laughter as she poked his arm with her finger. "Don't try to hide it, you lug. I've got a knack for seeing people for who they are, and I can tell that beneath your action-hero exterior, you've got a big heart. Am I right?"

Taggart couldn't answer but averted his gaze back to his now full glass and allowed himself to smile a little. It was rare for him to be so honest to someone...or at least try to be honest.

"See? I got it right, as usual!" She snickered before holding up her glass. "Emily Willits."

He glanced up from his drink to look at her, the smile never leaving his face as he held up his glass. "Flynn Taggart."

They both clinked their glasses together.

MUSUTAFU-LOWER SOUTH SIDE

PRESENT TIME

The Doomslayer lowered his head before walking into the elevator and hitting the down button with his fist. As the doors closed, Hawks stared at the elevator for a few seconds in silence. That head dip from the Vigilante hadn't gone unmissed, and he could only wonder what it meant. Maybe the Vigilante had more deep-seated personal issues than he previously thought. But Keigo did, at the very least, have an actual interaction with him and now knew what his goals were. With that in mind, Hawks went over to the broken window and leaped out of it. His wings unfurled, and he took to the sky, soaring through the skies above the city to inform whoever he could find about the Vigilante's actions.

But in a nearby alleyway a block away from the building, C4 watched him leave.

The Villain had arrived a few minutes ago to warn Papa Prisim that the unnamed Vigilante was hunting down numerous Villain gangs but arrived too late. The telltale sounds of gunfire, explosions, and motorized saws tearing through flesh signaled the elderly Villain's death. He was about to leave but then witnessed the Wing Hero Hawks fly into view and enter through a broken window.

At first, C4 watched with bated breath for the sounds of the Hero being mutilated by the Vigilante. Maybe the guy would start killing Heroes for real this time instead of knocking them unconscious. That would be a plus for the LOV. But to his surprise and disappointment, he would soon see Hawks take to the skies and the thrum of the Vigilante's motorcycle driving away in the opposite direction.

Rokuro hissed through his teeth as he ran his hand anxiously through his hair. This was turning into a fucking nightmare: AFO's plans were officially ruined, the Vigilante was on a Villain killing spree, and now there was proof that he probably had some stupid "Code of Honor" against Heroes. Namely, not killing them. But that brought another chilling possibility: what if the Vigilante was working for the Heroes? What if that story of him beating up all of those top rankers was all staged, and he was some kind of black ops human weapon the HPSC used in case the Villain problem became too much for other Heroes to handle? But this was no time for speculation. He instantly fled away at near-instantaneous speeds and pulled out his cell phone to contact AFO and Kurogiri.

"Why the fuck can't things go our way for once?" C4 grumbled to himself.

HELL-CIRCLE OF LUST

When one thinks of Hell, the most common thought is eternal, flesh-searing fire.

Today, no such heat emanates from within the Dark Realm. Since the death of the Dark Lord, the seas of magma have cooled until they are fully solidified, volcanos have ceased erupting, vents have stopped spewing noxious gasses entirely, and the overall suffocating, burning-hot atmosphere has become humid at best. Many of the Circles suffered permanent, long-lasting damage following the End War, and Lust was no different.

Where once was an expanse of opulent, intricately designed temples dedicated to the carnality of pleasure and hosted carnivals of depraved demonic orgies dotted throughout the Circle, all of them now lay in utter ruins. A black and red portal opened amidst the ruins, and the Four Horsemen came through while mounted atop their steeds, with Death carrying a Hellstone needed for travel in and out of Hell. The Riders surveyed the area in silence as they guided their steeds through the ruined temples, sinking into the blue-colored sand. From afar, they could see the massive desert in the distance with towering rock formations and deep canyons stretching on for miles. The sky was an ominous purple hue with dark clouds that occasionally crackled with crimson thunder.

"Spectacular." Strife commented sarcastically. "They just had to set up shop here."

"It's not like we make them choose where we meet them," Fury responded.

War glanced around their surroundings. "It seems that this Circle has fallen further into ruin. We shouldn't expect much resistance."

Death placed the Hellstone in his pocket before holding up a green talisman inscribed with demonic sigils attached to a black chain; it pulsed with energy as he turned his head over to the desert in the distance. "There." He spoke, pointing to a large chasm far from their position. "That is where they're located."

Stife felt his eye twitch at the considerable distance they had to travel to get there."A car would've paid for itself by now." He muttered under his breath.

(Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy Kilmister-Hellraiser)

But before they could set out, their steeds suddenly became agitated. They slammed their hoofs on the grounds and neighing angrily, their eyes glowing and steam billowing from their nostrils. The Four Horsemen knew that this only meant one thing: there were enemies nearby. Slithering from the ruins around them came the Succubi: lithe, lamia-like demonesses with red and black scales, long arms ending in sharp talons, small wings on their backs, and piercing yellow eyes with an extra one on their foreheads. Several gold rings and bangles were on their fingers and tails, but they had lost their luster after the End War, now appearing chipped and faded. The horde now surrounded the Horsemen, hissing hatefully at the Nephilim as they clawed the ground and bared their poison-coated fangs.

"It wouldn't be Hell if it didn't have a welcoming committee." Fury grinned eagerly as she unfurled Scorn from her belt.

"We have no quarrel with you, harlots." War sneered. "Leave us be and maybe we'll spare your lives."

"You are in no position to threaten us, Horseman!" One of the Succubi snarled. "We have you surrounded and outnumbered!"

"Oh wow, you do. I guess this means we're all doomed. This truly is the end for the Four Horsemen." Strife yawned in mock distress.

The Succubi hadn't caught on how screwed they were. "Once we have killed you, we will parade your beheaded, desecrated corpses from here to every Circle of the Dark Realm! We shall avenge our glorious, benevolent king Asmodeus with your deaths and-!"

"To clarify before you carry on with this inane drivel..." Death interrupted. "Asmodeus only saw you as toys to relive himself with or expendable footsoldiers at best. And we were not the ones who killed him, Aphrodite did. Despite her flaws, she at least had a far better understanding of love and desire than Asmodeus did and that concept alone is something none of you can grasp due to your pitifully limited intelligence. Did I get most of that right or did I use too many syllables?"

Strife and War stared at their brother in surprise, while Fury's smile grew wider. "And I thought I was the only one who loved belittling their opponents."

All of the Succubi screeched in rage at the Horsemen, unfurling their three-way lower jaws to reveal rows of teeth and fangs. They surged towards the Nephilim, the thundering lighting in the dark clouds above highlighting the horde's slithering forms.

War unsheathed Chaoseater. "Do we stand our ground?"

Death twirled his scythes. "No, they're nothing but irritants. Push through."

(1:15)

The Horsemen willed their steeds to charge through the horde and what followed was an absolute massacre as the horses plowed through the onslaught of Demonesses. Rampage fatally trampled them underneath its powerful hooves and Despair rammed into them with bone-crushing force. Ruin expelled gouts of fire from his mouth, incinerating any Succubus that attacked while Mayhem bit down on one of them and thrashed the Demon around like a ragdoll before throwing it away.

Fury's whip slashed through the attacking Demons with reckless abandon, the weapon seemingly having a mind of its own as it decapitated a swath of Succubi. She threw her whip out at another Succubus, the bladed chains wrapping around it and digging into its flesh. She slammed the demoness into its brethren like a makeshift flail before tugging at Scorn and slicing the Succubus into bloody bits. Fury's hair took on a yellow hue and transformed Scorn into a double-ended polearm, thrusting it through three Succubi before throwing them off and spearing into another Succubus.

She spun the weapon above her like a propeller, mulching a pack of Succubi that tried to pounce on her and raining blood and guts all over her. Grinning as she saw a larger, alpha Succubus slither towards her, Fury's hair transformed into a vibrant purple, and her weapon transformed again, this time into a spiked mallet adorned with ghoulish faces. She swung the mallet down upon the alpha, crushing its bones into dust as blood splattered all over her smiling visage. "Ah...this never gets old." She sighed in amusement.

Strife was blasting Succubi left and right, twirling Mercy and Redemption stylishly. He aimed for the metal bangles they wore so he could ricochet the bullets off them and into other attacking Succubi, scoring headshots all the time. He was like a living CIWS: when he took down one target, he switched to another one; his pistols never needed to reload at all. Through the usage of his Nephilim powers, Strife changed the ammo in his guns to lava rounds and now fired globules of liquid magma at the Succubi. Their agonized screams of pain filled the air as the lava burned gaping, cauterized holes through them and lighting them aflame. He switched to the versatile nature rounds and shot at several Succubi, causing vines to sprout out of the bullet wounds and strangle its targets. The vines injected poison into the veins of the Succubi, their bodies turning a sickly light green before bursting out into pustules and exploding into a shower of caustic acid, which doused the other attackers.

As the flesh melted off their bones, Strife spotted ten more Succubi attacking from above and, with a smile behind his mask, summoned a shadow clone to materialize into thin air above them! The clone pulled out shadowy duplicates of Strife's guns and spun around like a top while firing rapidly at the attackers while the real Strife witched to beam rounds and unleashed twin beams of violent energy that sliced through the Succubi like a hot knife through butter as the shadow clone disappeared. He switched back to his regular ammo and went back to potshotting Demons.

War swung Chaoseater as easily as swinging a stick. His blade didn't just cut through the horde of Succubi; it obliterated them. Any Succubus hit by Chaoseater exploded like blood-filled pinatas, painting the blue sand of Lust crimson and splattering entrails all over the ruins. For every drop of Demon blood spilled, it flowed into War's blade. It oozed into the gruesome skulls carved into the middle of the sword as it gained more power with each kill. He pulled out Crossblade, a multi-bladed glaive, and threw it at his serpentine adversaries with skillful precision. Crossblade flensed through its targets, seeking out new ones like like a homing missile while unleashing bursts of electricity that electrocuted the Succubi and sent them crashing into the ground, where they were promptly run over by Ruin like they were roadkill. As Crossblade flew back into his grasp, two Succubi launched themselves at him from the left and the right.

Narrowing his eyes, War put away his weapons and grabbed them by the necks, the Demons hissing and clawing at his armored hands. He slammed his head against one Succubus, making her head explode, and then squeezed the other's neck so hard her head popped off. Another demonic temptress leaped towards him from the front but War slammed the corpses together upon it, crushing its body while destroying the other two carcasses, bathing War in blood. His sword, which was now holstered to his back, glowed red which was an indicator that it had absorbed enough blood and was fully charged. He drew Chaoseater and with a mighty battle cry, swung his weapon and unleashed a tidal wave of white-hot flames that incinerated most of the horde right down to the bone, leaving their skeletonized remains to be crushed under Ruins hooves as he and War burst forth from the wall of flame.

Death was easily living up to his name. He had Harvester in its dual kama configuration and was hacking through swaths of Succubi faster than the eye could see. His arms were almost a blur as he swung his sickles in a frenzy of decapitation. He slammed his sickles together to transform it into a large scythe with far greater reach. Not a single Demoness could get close to Death, not while he was hacking through them with his oversized death dealer. An alpha Succubus swatted its kin aside as it slithered toward Death while screeching wrathfully, prompting the Nephilim to hurl Harvester like it was a boomerang at multiple hostiles to the right, bisecting dozens of them before summoning two large, ghostly claws from his hands.

The transparent oversized claws grabbed the alpha by the neck and drained its soul, its skin turning a deathly gray as it shriveled up into a decayed husk. He threw the corpse away and grabbed an enormous chunk of the ruins before chucking it towards an approaching mass of Succubi like a giant bowling ball, crushing any Succubi in its path. The ghostly arms dissipated just as Death caught Harvester when it returned to him. Death's eyes glowed purple with ghastly energy and with a raise of his hand, conjured forth a murder of ghostly crows at the Demonesses! The ethereal avians descended upon the Succubi like locusts: clawing out their throats, pecking out their eyes, biting off chunks of their flesh like piranhas and some even flung out dagger-like feathers into their skulls.

The Horsemen continued to massacre the Succubi, carving a path through their ranks and out of the ruins area until a deep rumble emerged from the desert beyond. A massive swell emerged from the sands until a gigantic worm-like Demon breached forth into view! It was the size of a blue whale, as long as several subway cars, and it was covered in a rough, pitch-black carapace. Large frills adorned its head with four hooked appendages near its mouth, which was a gaping, circular maw of teeth strong enough to crush boulders."RRRRHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKKK!"

"An Ashworm?! Here?!" Strife gawked.

"It must've migrated from the Circle of Gluttony..." War theorized.

The Ashworm let out an earsplitting bellow before surging towards the Horsemen. The Nephilim prepared themselves for a fight with the beast but to their surprise, it snaked past them and made a beeline for the Succubus horde! The panicked shrieks of the Succubi were drowned out by the savage roars of the Ashworm as it scooped up multitudes of them into its mouth, crunching down upon them while slashing through swaths of them with its claws. The Horesemn watched the ensuing slaughter with slight amusement.

"Well, this is a rare sight." Fury smirked. "Makes you wonder if it's helping us."

"As much as I would like to enjoy watching the slaves of Asmodeus be messily devoured, we have a schedule to keep." Death reminded his brothers and sister as he steered Despair towards the desert. They all rode out deeper into the wastelands of Lust, leaving the Ashworm behind to engorge itself. On that day in Hell, the Succubus population dropped significantly.

TWO HOURS LATER

After traversing the desert and entering one of the deep chasms, the Horsemen arrived at the location where Vulgrim and Dis had set up camp. Within the center of the chasm was a massive tent-like structure as big as a small house. It was colored a deep olive green with golden swirling patterns adorning its surface, while posts planted near the entrance of the tent held lanterns that glowed a sickly yellow. The Nephilim got off their steeds and motioned them to stay put as they entered the structure.

As soon as they entered, the inside of the tent was much larger than it looked on the outside. The interior resembled a flea market for Demons: the ornate tables were lined with jewels, swords, bones, horns, teeth, severed heads and limbs preserved in jars, artifacts, tapestries, grimoires, and other various collectibles hellspawn would kill to get their claws on. At the far end of the room was a counter with more collectibles and the proprietors of this "humble" shop: Vulgrim and Dis.

Vulgrim was a Demon hailing from the Circle of Greed. He had a tall build with pale gray skin and light blue scales, two damaged wings wrapped in bandages, and lanky arms with hands that ended in sharp claws while his other hand was covered with golden plating. His face was insidious and horrifying to look at: a toothy, reptilian visage with hollow, light green eyes, massive horns, and bare nostrils. He wore a purple and gold Egyptian-like headdress along with a long, purple-colored robe. Various scrolls, jewels, and other assorted valuables hung from his belt. He had no legs at all; he instead floated via a mist-like substance that emanated from his robes.

Dis was a chubby, thickly built Demoness and a resident of Lust. She had scaly, light red skin, large curved horns, yellow eyes, four arms, a long tail ending in a stinger, and her hair was aflame with purple hellfire. She wore a skimpy yet spiky and armored bikini-like outfit, dark violet stockings and arm sleeves, purple eyeshadow, and dark lipstick. Unlike Vulgrim, she had legs but chose to levitate via unknown methods.

The two Demon merchants were engrossed in their activities: Dis was reading through a heavy-looking tome while Vulgrim was chiseling away at a glowing chunk of orange-colored quartz. Dis was the first to notice the Horsemen and smiled widely, showing off her perfectly white yet razor-sharp canines.

"Well, if it ain't our best customers! How have y'all been?" Dis greeted. She, oddly enough, had a southern drawl to her voice.

Vulgrim glanced up and flashed the Horsemen a toothy grin. "Ah, our esteemed guests! it's only been years since our last meeting but it feels like centuries." Vulgrims voice had a hissing, scheming leer to it. There was no way to tell if his greeting was genuine or a facade for something sinister.

"Not long enough." Fury drawled in a disinterested tone.

"So, I take it you were all preoccupied with Lust's denizens? We heard quite a commotion a few hours ago." Vulgrim snidely pointed out.

"Yeah, we got waylaid by Succubi as soon as we entered Hell. Hope none of them were your sisters, Dis." Strife remarked as wiped the blood off of his ensemble.

"Hun, most of those crusty floozies have wanted me dead for a long time; y'all did me a favor." Dis replied as she closed her tome. Her nose wrinkled a little when she saw that the Nephilim were coated in gore, staining the decorative carpet of their teepee. "Perhaps y'all should've wiped your feet before ya came in."

"Why bother? Most of our clientele come to us covered in viscera or any other form of bodily fluids." Vulgrim dismissed before addressing the Horsemen. "So! What can we do for you today, Horsemen? If it's information about any upstart Demon Cheiftans, you'll be disappointed to hear that it's been quiet, all things considered."

"Well...there is Malgros the Defilier over in Gluttony but he prefers to think with his stomach if y'all catch my drift." Dis winked.

"We do seek information, Vulgrim, but it is of a different kind." War elaborated.

Vulgrim and Dis collectively raised an eyebrow. Death stepped forward to give them their question but mentally reminded himself to keep the Doomslayer's actions in the Mortal Realm a secret. Before heading out, Death and the other Riders agreed to withhold the Doomslayer's existence. They had no idea how Hell would react if they ever found out that the myth of the Slayer had been real the whole time. They would keep the subject tight-lipped for now and instead make it sound like they were requesting more information on the Helix Stone.

"Tell us what you know of the Doomslayer Prophecy." Death started. There was a pause in the air before Vulgrim threw his head back and laughed uproariously.

"AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, PLEASE! Don't tell me you believe that nonsense!" Velgrim guffawed.

"Yeah, I think that whole story is bunk but why ask us? Don't y'all already know about it?" Dis asked.

"The Ascendant Realm has recently 'reopened' their observations into the Prophecy. We came here to see if you know of anything they might have missed." Death explained.

"What's there to know? It was clearly a tailor-made lie to foster dissension within the Dark Lord's ranks." Vulgrim scoffed.

"Now, hold on a sec." Dis interjected. "The Goetians were fiercely loyal to the Dark Lord and the rest of the Charred Council. I doubt any of them would try to make something like this up. I mean, they were very serious about the whole matter and even brought it before the Dark Lord himself."

"And he dismissed it entirely because the notion of all the power of Hell cowering before one man is utterly ridiculous." Vulgrim reminded her. "Especially the mention of another one just as fearsome as this so-called 'Bane of Hell.'"

"Did all of the Goetians receive the same vision or was it only one?" War questioned.

"It was just one: Paimon." Dis confirmed. "From what I heard, he suddenly had some kind of prophetic nightmare in his sleep and woke up screaming about the Slayer. He even commissioned some Demons to create the Helix Stone in response so he could warn everyone."

"So, did anyone believe him?" Strife asked while scratching the back of his head.

"Hardly." Vulgrim sneered. "They all thought it was nonsensical ravings. Nowadays, most Demons believe the Prophecy was referring to their utter defeat at the hands of the Creator and the Prime Council."

"Is there any chance that some clues about the Doomslayer Prophecy were left behind when we confiscated the Helix Stone?" Fury inquired.

"Hard to say, the Ascendant Realm and y'all were pretty thorough in grabbing anything that wasn't nailed down after the End War." Dis shrugged.

The Horsemen could feel disappointment creeping up; this trip appeared to be a waste of time. But Strife, being the most dogged of the Horsemen, wasn't ready to throw in the towel yet. "Y'know, there was a piece missing from the Helix Stone. Any chance you two might've come across something, I don't know...rock-like?"

Dis glanced at Vulgrim while the Demon drummed his fingers against his chin. He turned around and floated into the far back, disappearing into the darkness. The sounds of him rummaging through his wares and some items being knocked over were heard. A few seconds later, Vulgrim came back carrying a hefty chunk of stone in his hands. "I found this under some rubble when I was scouring the ruins of the Goetian cities for anything I could add to my wares. Haven't found a buyer yet."

He set it down on the counter and the Nephilim took a closer look. The mural depicted what appeared to be the Doomslayer standing upon countless Demon skulls but there was something significantly different about it. For one, the figure was distinctly female and appeared to be wearing a fur cape. She was raising a flail in the air in one hand while the other hand held a bladed shield. But the most glaring feature the Horsemen noticed...

Was the pair of long, rabbit-like ears on the sides of the figure's head.

Immediately, it all fell into place for them. This truly was the missing piece to the Helix Stone but what shocked them the most was that they recalled seeing the Doomslayer rescue someone with the exact same kind of ears.

"Well? Is it what you were all looking for?" Vugrim tilted his head while twiddling his long claws together.

Death glanced up from the stone. "You have been of most valuable help, Vulgrim. We'll be taking this."

"Normally, I would make my offer but I've been trying to pawn this useless thing for centuries and it's just taking up space." Vulgrim said as he raised his hands. "You may have it. Free of charge."

"Generosity from you? Hell truly has frozen over..." Fury smiled, earing snickers from Strife and Dis who were trying to hold back their laughter.

"Do not mistake this act as being humble, Nephilim." Vulgrim hissed, pointing a finger at her threateningly.

"Noted. Let us know if this Malgros guy starts causin' trouble and thanks a ton." Strife waved at them as War scooped up the stone and held it under his arm. The Horsemen turned around to leave, intent on getting it back to Ulthane and the Crowfather as soon as possible.

"Before y'all go, satisfy our curiosity for a bit." Dis called after them. They stopped and turned to her. "I noticed your expressions when y'all looked at that rock. It takes A LOT to ruffle your feathers so that can only mean something's up."

Vulgrim grinned insidiously as he clasped his hands together. "Quite so. What is going on up there in the Mortal Realm? Is the Creator's 'brilliant' idea to bestow the Mortals the power of the Gods backfiring by any chance?"

The Nephilim glared at Vulgrim before wordlessly turning around and leaving through the flap of the tent. There was a loud whinny from one of the horses until there was a red flash, followed by silence.

"If there's one thing they sorely lack in, it's subtlety." Vulgrim smirked.

Dis shrugged nonchalantly. "Can't argue with that. But their reaction meant something, Vulgrim-"

"Oh, what? That the Doomslayer was real this whole time and has made his presence known to all? Spare me, Dis. I will believe this Doomslayer buffoonery when I see him with my own two eyes." Vulgrim snorted as he went back to his chiseling.

Dis still felt uneasy about the whole thing. "But on the off chance that he is real? What's that gonna mean for Hell? What's that gonna mean for us?"

That was enough for Vulgrim to give pause and ponder his partner's words...

MUSUTAFU GENERAL HOSPITAL

1:45 AM

Miruko tied the laces on her white-colored boots together excitedly before standing up from the hospital bed. She was now dressed in her casual wear for when she was off duty: A plain white shirt, blue jeans, a black belt with a decorative buckle, and a black and yellow hoodie. Rumi was in a very good mood, she had been cleared of radiation poisoning by the hospital staff and was given the OK to leave the hospital. Once she got back to her apartment and changed back into her Hero clothes, she was hitting the streets and getting back to doing what she was best at: kicking ass.

"Look out, Musutafu! Miruko is back on the rebound!" She beamed proudly.

To be continued...

Another Arc done and dusted, hope it was a great finale!

The conversation between Hawks and VEGA was pretty self-explanatory since the Doomslayer refuses to speak, as well as the clash between Keigo's reasoning and VEGA's cold logic. I also added another flashback of the Slayer's past life and his interactions with Emily. Damn it, who is cutting onions all of a sudden?

Thus we finally get a glimpse of MHA's version of Hell based on my own design, taking cues from Dante's Inferno. The Succubi were based on the snake-like Demoness seen in the Darksiders Genesis trailer. The weapons and abilities of the Horsemen were a lot of fun to play around with and only time will tell how they fare against the DOOM Demons. How am I doing on the Darksider's characters' mannerisms? It's a little tough to emulate.

And finally, we have the big "Wham Episode" for the Arc: Rumi is the Second Slayer and I will also confirm that she will be using the Dark Ages armor and weapons! The reasoning behind my choice was that you can change the speed in Dark Sges to be as fast as you want which compliments Rumi's fighting style very well. She tends to take out her opponents quick and easy whereas the Doomslayer makes their final moments painful and drawn out.

I will try to work on the next arc in between playing KF3. What I can say is that the next is where things start getting really dark so prepare yourselves. I will not say that it's the Demon invasion, I want it to be a surprise. Until then, may you all take care of yourself and here's to another year of Unchained Predator!

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