Terror Infinity Side B

Chapter 25, H.O.T.D 2

The moment Shin's feet touched the ground a loud bang followed by a explosion resonated throughout the battlefield. Through the connection of Soul Link Hikari swiftly relayed the coordinates of the sniper he had spotted to Team Japan and the Walking Dead Unit’s snipers. Connor immediately spotted the enemy sniper first on the roof of a building a few thousand meters away through the scope of the Ibis Trigger and shot at him. The firing of the Ibis additionally enhanced with Demonic Argumentation created a huge bang and when the orange shell of both Trion and Demonic Power crashed onto the roof with the top half of the building blown off. The enemy jumped off the roof of the building flying over a 200 meters from the blast, but in midair he was struck down by the Gauss Rifle wielded by Kohta. The shell smashed dead center into his chest and the force blew him away flipping through the air uncontrollably.

Shuai: "A direct hit! He's as good as dead!"

Shuai, Jin, and Aqua who had caught up with Shin who had charged forward first were pleased. And they should be. The Gauss Sniper Rifle was a powerful sci-fi weapon after all. It was only a D tier sci-fi weapon, but all sci-fi weapons were incredibly powerful and lethal even if they didn't require rank rewards to exchange for. A normal human, even one that was enhanced greatly by God could not withstand a direct hit from them and get back up, so everyone believed the moment the enemy was hit by the shell of the Gauss Rifle he had perished. Not even Shin or Aqua, who possessed multiple B-A tier enhancements had the confidence to survive a direct hit from the Gauss Rifle, and even if they did avoid instant death they would not be in any condition to keep fighting. Only by truly mastering A tier and higher enhancements could one begin to discard the threat of Sci-fi weapons, but it would still never completely go away unless you truly became a god level Player like those who founded the Four Pillars.

Shin: (But what is this feeling that I can't shake away?)

Shin was upset and worried that things were going too easy for them, but it was not long till he and the others were shown reality. The enemy crashed into the earth right in the middle of the horde of zombies attacking the city. Those zombies nearby stopped charging towards the city defensive wall and converged towards the five meter sized crater the human had made when he crashed. They couldn't restrain their hunger for flesh and blood and wanted to devour the human corpse reeking of evolved flesh and blood, but when they stepped into the crater a swung backhand fist sent them all spiraling through the air and falling back down to the earth in a mangled mess. The enemy and Team Kenya's leader, Badru stepped out of the crater now walking towards the city wall.

Badru shirt was destroyed by the shell of the Gauss Rifle and his fall, but on his perfectly sculpted body of muscles there was only a two inch sized hole on his chest eight centimeters deep. Badru was smiling as well, so along with his inhuman power and endurance just displayed, no zombie dared to approach him a second time. Zombies were a race of undead type monsters who did not know fear, but the Z3 understood the threat Badru posed if made a enemy, so it made a order to ignore him and continue the attack on the city. And so Badru simply walked forward unhindered as all the zombie parted way for him through the sea of undead. Hikari was showing images of this through Soul Link to Shin, Aqua, Shuai, and Jin. For some reason Hikari still couldn't detect Badru's brainwaves through scans, but she could at least visually track him and share those images. This was a certainly a good thing for the team, but no one looked happy seeing Badru stand back up and walk over towards the army.

Aqua: "What the hell is this!? How can a Human stand back up from a direct hit from Gauss Sniper Rifle bullet? Not even with my adamantium endoskeleton could I do that since I still have a flesh and blood body. I would have to be in "Silver Fang" to replicate that!"

Shuai: "Was it a magic skill, or defensive technique like Shin's Silver Dragon Scales? But, I didn't feel like it was like that."

Jin: "...Whatever the case, let's go with the idea that this man is Team Kenya's leader. It's pointless to consider the idea that someone in Team Kenya is more powerful than him as it would mean we're dead for certain! Shin, Aqua, Shuai! I miscalculated, or rather we are unfortunate. God didn't match us up against a team with a similar level of strength. This man alone has reached an absurdly high level of power through enhancements and has reached the stage where low tier sci-fi weapons can't kill him, or at least from a distance. He also has the confidence to calmly walk while being surrounded on all sides by THEM, knowingly trailed by the scopes of at least two skilled snipers armed with powerful guns, all towards a modern army fully equipped and with Enhancers and an enemy team in the mix. If we allow him to reach where we are he'll reek havoc and destroy the fortified wall and kill a few hundred soldiers with ease, and then THEM will charge in and will wipe us out! My plan is dangerous, but it better than waiting for the enemy to come to us, so-"

Takeshi: "Hey! Did you see that guy!"

At this time Takeshi and the other main character besides Kohta ran over to Shin's group. Like Shin, Takashi was hit by a rock thrown by the enemy, and like Shin he blocked it with his weapon and fell off the wall from the force of the throw. From there, unlike Team Japan using Psyche Force Scan and Soul Link to see the enemy next display of endurance tanking the shot from the Gauss Rifle, but they heard as much from Kohta a walkie talkie, so they grasped the situation before they arrived. At the very least the enemy had power rivaling a L3 judging by his throw, jumping power, and ability to withstand an attack from the Gauss Rifle and stand back up like it was nothing, so they were all for killing the mystery human enemy who has sided with the zombies. No matter his motivations, as far as the main characters and humanity were concerned, such a individual needed to be killed at all cost.

Takashi: "A enemy that the Sci-fi gun you gave Kohta couldn't kill won't die even if we order the military to focus their bombardments on him. He's also just walking now, but he may have the speed as well as power, so he could avoid it as well. Shin, what's your plan? We'll follow you long as it gives us a decent chance of succeeding."

Shin: "...If you're fine with stupid and recklessness, we have a plan if you could call it that."

Rei: "Saya hasn't come up with anything worthwhile, so we're all ears."

Shin: "We just go out there and fight him."

Takashi: "..."

Jin: "I understand your response, but the idea we came up with has a high chance of working. Look at the enemy. He is foolishly walking out in the open with confidence. With 100% certainty he is daring all us to strike him down from a distance if we can. Who knows what weapons we have on hand for such a foolish enemy. At the very least if he was hit by Connor's Ibis enhanced by a skill straight in the head, this guy would still die, so what does this tell us about our enemy's goal?"

Saeko: "He's looking for a challenge. His number 1 goal isn't to kill all of us, but to fight all of us."

Jin: "Correct! If his goal was for all of us to die he could have done so much damage to us already. You don't need to have a strategic mind to see all the chances he had at hurting our side. Of course our side would have still won in the end, but we would suffer much higher casualties than we had."

- *BANG*!!!

And then to immediately test that theory, Connor from a unknown position after moving from his last location shot at Badru with demonic skill enhanced Ibis. The orange cannon ball shook the air as it flew towards the enemy's head with every intention of blowing the top half of his body up. Badru felt the threat and entered into the First Stage of Unlocked Mode. In addition the muscles of his body bulged bigger and his skin harder and darker almost like rock, and his body glowed red with energy similar to Connor's Demonic Power. Badru raised his two strong hands as if to catch the cannon ball, and succeed to everyone’s shock and fear. Badru was sent sliding back over forty meters from the collision, yet his hands never let go of the cannon ball or allowed it to reach his face. After coming to a stop his powerful hands smashed the cannon ball to pieces.

Connor saw all this through his scope and fired again, but forced much more power into his weapon. He channeled as much Demonic Power and Trion as he could muster, to the point his Trion Body losing stability was damaged and his Ibis began to degrade from using Demonic Argumentation. From the gun shot out another and even more powerful cannon ball. Instinctively, Badru felt the threat of this cannon ball on his skin before it even arrived. It would definitely do great damage if he took a direct hit, yet instead of blocking, catching, or the smart thing to move to the side, he smiled savagely and threw a full power right punch at the cannon ball. Just before the cannon ball arrive Badru entered the Second Stage and his muscles tightened and expanded by 60% as his fist crashed into the cannon balls. Half the bones in his right hand broke on impact and the skin burned from the friction, but the final result was the cannon ball half caved in and went flying off into the distance and detonating when it fell to the ground, killing off a few hundred zombies. This display of power was frightening for all those present.

Shin: "(The way his muscles enlarged and hardened... doesn't feel like just from the Second Stage alone, but rather a ability from an enhancement as well.)

Shin analyzed the enemy's power, and then recalled Jin's explanation and understood what he wanted to say and do next. Since the enemy was a battle fiend, someone like him would of course choose the option which brought about the greatest excitement to him rather than what was smart.

Shin: "So well lure him somewhere else with the promise of battle, is that right? Good idea. With this kind of guy it might work. Shuai! Can you use Gnome to move the earth under the enemy's feet and levitate it and him on top of the rock to another location?"

Shuai: "I should be able to, but it can't be too large of a landmass or for too long or too high a height. If this wasn't the case I could do this for all of us and give us all the power of flight. I would have said I could do something so amazing."

Shin: "We just need you to move one person, Shuai. Long as you don't act with the intent to kill, he shouldn't resist being relocated. After we bring him to a new location all of us will go after him and-"

Jin: "No, we can't all go after him. Well just send our two groups strongest close range fighters, Shin and Takashi, and along with fighters for support Shuai and myself, and to protect us who are weak in close combat Rei. The four if us will hold him down."

Saya: "Oh, and your reason we should send only our best fighters and three others to deal with that uncertain monster of a man instead of using a coordinated attack from both our powerful group is what?"

Saya didn't understand why Jin was proposing such a half hearted offensive against such a powerful enemy, but seeing his face now revealing such scary smile she took a half a step back.

Jin: "He may not be alone. If there is someone who can communicate and avoid being killed by THEM, that person must be an individual with a powerful magic skill to do so. A zombie control skill most likely. An Enhancer or Evolver with such a powerful skill in this apocalyptic world overrun by THEM, the individual would learn to be more cleaver and shrewd whether he wanted to or not, as we all know that such a person who isn't on the side of good must be eradicated at all cost! Control type Z series THEM are bad enough, so we can't allow them to acquire the actual intelligence and imagination which only human own. Any Enhancer that may have this power should know better than to show himself, but this enemy isn't like that. This enemy doesn't have the personality to fit the bill for this kind of cold and calculating magic user. It in our best interest to believe he's part of a group with a Enhancer who has such a zombie control skill. This could also be a trap to lure all our powerful fighters out to handle the enemy in front of us, all for the sake for those hiding and waiting behind us to strike."

Everyone in Team Japan knew Jin words were absolute bull shit, but held such persuasive logic and reasoning that no one who didn't know better couldn't find fault. Not even by a intelligent type like Saya and other main characters. Among them were those who always feared the possibility that one day a zombie control skill would drop at the feet of a enhancer and his intentions wouldn't be good. Just like when most protagonist in novels and manga where they acquire slave binding and brainwashing spells, even a person was once a decent and kind individual in the beginning, the temptation to do evil with such powers was too much to bear and before they realized it would destroy their good values and world views of good and evil.

They would think there's nothing wrong with being evil and is the way of the world and anyone who thought otherwise was naive, or perhaps that there was no good or evil. If no one could or did stop him it meant it was okay. That kind of childish logic of a child, or one who believes rules don't apply to themselves. And just like when such protagonist use their powers to xxxx women, break their wills and morals, and rise in status, an individual who acquires an ability to control brainless human eating monsters would definitely use the skill for evil. That is why Jin's analysis wouldn't be wrong if Team Japan didn't know for certain that Team Kenya was supporting the zombie side of this war. This kind of analysis and argument showed off Jin's talents as the teams strategist and one that others couldn't copy so easily. Including Team Japan's former strategist Saki from that Shin has observed of the man from all their interactions so far. As proof, rather than with logic, but fear of the unknown, Saya and Takashi agreed with the plan.

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Badru: "Oh, what's this now?"

Badru gazed down at the ground and noticed cracks forming and the earth shook. At first he thought it was an attack from the earth manipulator that the Z3 had warned his team about, but for whatever reason he couldn't feel any killing intent, so his reaction was slow. In a few seconds a full circle of cracks and the earth began to ascend, leaving the ground and floating with Badru on top of it. The floating rock with Badru on top of it, swiftly yet not slowly, began flying away.

Badru seemed to understand the intentions of these actions and began to laugh out loudly. Team Japan understood that he wanted a fight, not a bloodbath, so they would go along with his desire. Of course, this didn't mean they felt the same. More than likely, they were only doing this since they were too afraid of Badru destroying their defensive line and allowing the millions of zombies to rush deeper into the city.

Badru wasn't upset in the least by the enemy's true intent and was more than willing to praise them for sending away the monster they couldn't just kill. Still, Badru had to make his own preparations and so he called his team. The rest of Team Kenya except Obasi guarding the Z3 and the three Newbies were hiding amongst the millions of zombies and waiting for the time to rush in and kill their targets.

One of them had in fact already infiltrated the enemy camp when Badru showed himself. This person had sneaked in when the soldiers were retreating earlier. Team Kenya's plan, or rather Sakura's plan was for Badru to cause the attention of Team Japan and the human side away, have the spy they sent in locate their targets, and then the rest of their team would rush in and back out after killing their targets. Unlike Badru, they weren't impervious to bullets and missiles, so they couldn't stupidly attack head on like him.

(CP = Communicator Phone)

Badru CP: "Sorry, but they captured me and are leading me away. I'll escape on my own, so take this time to attack."

Sakura CP: "Fuck you, mad dog! Like you can be captured by ordinary teams! You can't just kill everyone, but you have to have your "fun", you Blood Crusade dog!"

Badru CP: "But that would be boring. Especially when after seeing my strength they still have the courage to fight me head on. I'm a firm believer that bravery should be rewarded and cowardice with death and humiliation."

Sakura CP: "Nonsense. Kill the enemy that gets in your way is simple and best. That's the Mass Enlightenment way. Besides, they only have the courage to face you and not run for the hills because you haven't shown them what true power is just yet. A power that stomps on resolve, effort, talent, tactics, and strategy. Your nick name is the Reaper for a reason."

Badru CP: "I never liked that name... but it would be nice if Team Japan forced me to show them how I received such a title!"

Badru crushed the communication device in his hands to stop Sakura from trying to convince him to not go along with this foolishness. He knew it was, but it didn't matter. If he died from this than it happens. Badru's path of evolution was not carved out by well thought up plans and sinister schemes, but a desire to fight the strong and overcome them. Many would call him foolish and destined to die... yet those people who had come across him had all been killed. For a grim reaper who brings death and destruction on the battlefield, one did not need to heed the words of the weak.

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Authors Note:

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