(My first work ever. I accept any kind of responses from my readers, just not outright disrespect or unreasonable 1-2 star's.)
(TRIGGER: OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE | Sexual Content | Light Horror | Possible GORE)
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Thinking: 'text'
Talking: "text"
Note: (text)
Author's note: (A/N: text)
Sound effect: text
Communication Devices/Telepathic Communication: [text]
Abilities & Skills: (text)
MC note: [text]
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--THE PROLOGUE--
In a vast, shadow-drenched forest under the cover of night, screams and gunfire tore through the silence like thunder ripping the skies.
Deep within the forest's heart, a squad of twenty-five elite commandos moved like shadows in the darkness — each clad in black combat titanium gear: tactical helmets, chin-covering masks, reinforced vests, combat trousers and blouses, boots, belts, and bandoliers strung with grenades and other miscellaneous stuff and combat gear.
—What is the gunfire for?
—It's a fight.
—Not your average fight...
—They weren't fighting humans.
Fweeeeeeew
The whistling of something fast —too fast —cut through the air.
—A missile.
—It is not your average fight.
—It was a large fireball.
"WATCH OUT!!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The inferno erupted upon them, hurling shockwaves and dust into the air. One soldier, panic blazing in his eyes, screamed as he fired blindly into the smoke. "WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE THINGS?!"
Their enemies were towering abominations. They were red-skinned monstrosities with obsidian-black horns curving from their foreheads and savage fangs gleaming beneath their soulless eyes, basically a pure white pair of eyes with no eyeballs.
It was obvious the guy was new.
Pew Pew
His G95A1 rifle shot, but the dust blinded him.
"Take cover, you dumbass!" Came a sharp, naturally perfectly deep masculine voice.
The speaker wore the same black gear —but with one key difference. A half-skull mask covered his face, etched with bone-white markings down his neck and chin.
A mask shaped like a skull... not unlike those worn by elite operators in old-world operations video games.
—It was the unsettling fact that the half-skull face mask was real... It once belonged to a human being's bone face structure, and now it was used as the man's mask.
His presence was commanding — unmistakably the squad leader.
The panicked soldier didn't listen.
Slash
In a flash, one of the demonic beasts slashed his neck clean open. His lifeless body crumpled, and the beast stood over him, with its yellow, soulless eyes glowing intensely.
Blood gushed out of the slit and across the beast's face, and continued to pour down and stain the grass and soil.
The beast licked its whole face with its wide and long tongue, then bent down to drink the blood pouring in from the dead guy as if he was some kind of a delicious juice faucet.
—Poor man.
—He never got the chance to regret it.
Pew!
A single shot tore through the monster's skull. It collapsed instantly.
The skull-masked man lowered his G36 — custom-modified for instant-kill precision. "There's a hut up ahead. MOVE if you want to stay alive!"
The men didn't hesitate.
They ran.
(Skull-masked man's POV)
We found shelter in an old, decaying hunting hut. Barely standing.
The roof held though, and that's all we needed.
A quick introduction. Name? Doesn't matter. Not now. I'm twenty years old and leading one of the elite commando units of the United Continents — an alliance of surviving nations after the world went to shit. We were thrown into a war we didn't start. A war we didn't ask for.
Our enemies?
Demonic Beasts.
Their origin is a damn mystery. Space invaders? Demons from the Underworld? No one knows. And me? I don't give a shit. I just kill them.
They're fast. Strong. Brutal.
—But they're dumb.
And thank every surviving scientist for that. Because if these bastards had brains, we'd all be corpses already.
Two years of non-stop war. Two years of blood and hellfire. I've watched cities burn. Seen entire units torn apart. But you get used to it anyway.
We studied them. Adapted. Our weapons were forced to be enhanced. Bullets were redesigned to penetrate their thick hides.
But outnumber us?
Then it's game over.
And tonight? We're very outnumbered.
"Alright, men," I said, calm and firm. "Stay low. No noise. I've called for evac — they're en route."
My men nodded silently. Some stared at the broken walls. Others looked up at the black velvet sky. I joined the latter.
Four of us sat together, gazing upward.
[Commander. Report.] My comm buzzed in my ear — voice sharp, speaking Japanese.
Not Japanese myself, but I know the tongue.
"Roger. Alpha here. Awaiting evacuation." I gave response.
[Captain Musashi here. Four minutes out. Any more losses?]
"Negative, sir. We're holed up in a hut. Over."
[Good. Stay alive.] Click.
"You heard him. We sit tight." I looked around. They nodded again.
Two minutes passed in silence.
Then Daiki, the kid who always talked about his fiancée, broke it.
"After this, I'm gonna marry my sweetheart," he said, still staring at the stars with a soft smile.
"Hahaha. Early congratulations, Daiki!"
"Congrats!"
"Live long, brother."
"Treat her well," I added, yet my voice remained cold. I'm nicknamed the "Skull Iceberg" afterall. Gotta keep my reputation even at death's call.
Am I cold though? Who knows.
I only got caught up with the act, and eventually ended up having this demeanor and acting this way.
I'd removed my chin guard. Most of us had. Just for a moment to breathe.
"Thanks, Lieutenant. Thank you everyone." Daiki's grin was pure. Innocent. Like the war hadn't touched him.
Then Goro, his closest buddy, clapped him on the back. "We're all brothers here."
"Damn right!" Daiki laughed.
"Hahahahaha."
—SHRIEKS
HOWLS
SCREAMS.
The air suddenly changed.
Terror filled it.
Every hair on my body stood.
"Quiet!" I hissed. I crept to the doorframe, eyes scanning the trees. Ten seconds passed…
And then—
"...Damn the day I was born." I cursed.
Hundreds.
No— thousands.
Charging through the forest like a fucking tidal wave of flesh and fire. Horned heads. Red skin. Even fangs flashed like stars. They were coming for us.
"POSITIONS! TAKE YOUR POSITIONS!!!"
Every soldier moved.
"FIRE!!! EMPTY YOUR DAMN MAGS!! SHOW THESE HELLSPAWN WHO'S BIG BALLS!!!"
RAT-TAT-TAT! RAT-TAT! RAT-TAT-AT!
Shots fired with military precision. Only the forehead and between the brows. Their weak spots.
Dozens fell. But more came. Closer.
"Fuck!"
—Grenades!
Without looking, since I knew where they are, I reached my hand down to my hip.
Two in my left hand.
Pull. Toss.
BOOM!BOOM!
Again.
BWOOM!
"Everyone— GRENADES OUT! NOW!" I shouted.
They obeyed.
Explosions rippled like thunder. Dust clouds rose like smoke from a battlefield in hell.
"Keep shooting!" I roared. "DON'T LET UP!"
RAT-TAT-TAT! RAT-TAT-AT!
[Captain Musashi here. Ten seconds out. Signal your location.]
"Roger that." I grabbed the flare gun, fired it into the air. A crimson flare painted the sky red.
Finally, two helicopters roared overhead.
[Prepare for extraction.]
Two ropes dropped. One per bird.
"GO! GO! GO! Daiki FIRST!"
"Of course, sir!"
Everyone wanted Daiki to escape first, and so did I.
They went in waves. Four by four.
The helicopters' machine gunners were covering for us.
The last wave climbed. Then I was the last.
I grabbed the rope.
And as I was looking up, I saw Daiki reached his hand down to pull me up.
FWOOOSH
THWAK!
Something grabbed me.
A crushing grip on my legs.
I looked down.
Two massive heads. Horned. Grinning.
"Daiki... You better leave the unit…" I whispered. For his sake. To live freely with his woman.
I let go of the rope, free falling, but used the momentum to draw my pistol and fire point-blank into both their skulls.
"LIEUTENANT!!!"
As I fell, time slowed.
'So this is it, huh...'
'I didn't even taste sex…'
But I smiled.
'I saved lives. I did what no Colonel could do. At 20.'
And that girl I saved… She flashed through my mind. Her soft voice. Those eyes.
'Was it love at first sight…?'
—All noise vanished.
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Give me all your powerstones!