Shadow Slave

A soldier named Ash was not having a great day. Early into the battle, his powerful exoskeleton armor suit sustained damage to one of its knee joints. Although he could still fight and shoot his rifle, not to mention more than willing to face the abominations despite having his mobility severely reduced, the command judged that the risk was not worth it.

As a result, he had to abandon his fellow infantrymen and retreat to the supply train of the division, where a team of techs tried to repair his suit as fast as possible.

…Sadly, they weren't fast enough.

Who knew that a bunch of new Gates would open, with one of them appearing almost on top of the scarcely defended supply train?

While the techs and other non-combatants desperately tried to retreat closer to the main formation, Ash and a small number of soldiers that happened to be nearby had no choice but to face the advancing Nightmare Creatures alone.

They unleashed a torrent of bullets at the monsters, but there were just too many of them. Even when he emptied his shoulder-mounted launcher to send a hail of miniature rockets into the mass of rabid abominations, the surprisingly potent explosive load his missiles carried failed to make any difference.

He had managed to slaughter a number of Dormant bastards with that salvo, but those of them that were Awakened…

You needed an Awakened to kill another Awakened. All mundane soldiers knew that, more or less.

Slowly, Ash's blood turned cold in his veins.

'Bad, bad, bad…'

An officer's shout reached his ears through the communication system of the armor suit, barely legible because of all the distortion produced by the mass of Gates:

"...tach… bayonets!"

Attach bayonets…

That was the order that every soldier dreaded.

of his rifle. A moment later, a powerful alloy blade slid from underneath its barrel,

'Come then, wretches!'

Quadrant. The odds just seemed too slim. The Awakened abominations were bad

that resembled a giant, ancient, rotting carcass of a monstrous deer had just emerged from the Gate, sending the other ghastly beasts into a frenzy. It had to be a Devil, at least… or maybe even a

shuddered and

bastards are going to learn what humans are capable

the thin line of soldiers, making ranged fire useless. Ash caught a lunging Dormant beast on

'Strong…'

ignited, pushing him forward. Ash sliced through the flesh of the revolting creature, then tried

finally gave out, throwing him off balance. The bayonet slid off the hide of the Awakened monster

ground. Before he could move, sharp fangs closed on his shoulder, easily crushing the tempered alloy of his armor and the complicated internals of the powered suit. A terrible pain tore

I am

stared at the ugly snout of the monster that was

the monster's head

horse carrying a human rider that wore an intricate onyx

Or a demon, perhaps.

Without ever slowing down, the demonic knight continued forward, killing numerous abominations in passing. Suddenly, the pressure

hers?... nightmarish steed flew through

'The sword…'

sword he… she?... held was made out of black stone, and broken. Its edge, however, was still

onslaught of Nightmare Creatures, getting closer and closer to the monstrous deer. At some point, the rider gracefully jumped off the black steed's back, soaring high into

a chilling, absolutely inhuman shriek that suddenly rolled across the battlefield, so

'Gods…'

raise himself from the ground. The battle was still not over… in fact, it was only starting. Even though Ash would have to struggle to do anything with

was no sign of its demonic rider, but judging by the erratic movements