Shattering Humanity-Chapter 452: A Theory To Why Humans Are Naturally Defiant
"And both sides called for judgment, so every stubborn tyrant was doomed.
Awaiting them is Hell, and they will be left to drink oozing pus, which they will sip with difficulty, and can hardly swallow. Death will overwhelm them from every side, yet they will not be able to die. Awaiting them still is harsher torment.
The parable of the deeds of those who disbelieve in their Lord is that of ashes fiercely blown away by wind on a stormy day. They will gain nothing from what they have earned. That is truly the farthest one can stray." -Ibrahim 14:15-18
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[Southern Demon District]
Keeling over, Daylor holds his stomach in apparent discomfort.
Daylor: "There’s that feeling again!
I feel like I gotta take a shiiiiiiiiiit!"
Sol facepalms just before Daylor glows all white once more and knowing the fight is over, the discreetly assuaged Vegetius deactivates his SoulSeiõrShield. He watches as the glowing figure becomes split into two separate glowing beings, one smaller and skinner. While the other is tall and rounded out.
Soon, the shining split duo become distinguishable as Dom and TayTay, then the exhausted pair collapse to the ground.
TayTay is snoring, while next to him Dom tries to keep his consciousness and get back to his feet, but his symbiote goes back to its base-kit Stage.
Prone on the ground, the losing Gunner looks up at Vegetius as the winner looks down on him, and the admirable idiot uses the last of his energy to smile before passing out.
Soaring through the air, the skilled fighter knowing it is coming, allows a thrown small rock to hit him in the back of the hea, off his helmet.
Sol: "Get away from the big one!
I don’t care what you do with the Dumbass who instigated this all, but don’t you dare hurt the one who didn’t choose to fight!"
Not turning around to face the bold teenager defending her "son"(and selling out Dom), Vegetius takes a deep breath and turns away from his defenseless prey.
He walks over to his dropped weaponry and re-equips himself with the single SunSword in its HeatHolster and his rifle.
Sol in her oversized coat runs across the freeway over to the passed out Taylor and kneels next to his head.
She softly rubs along the brute’s hairline, speaking calmly.
Sol: "Hey Big Guy, it’s time to wake up..."
She reaches inside her coat and fishes out a heavily bruised, but it still edible apple.
Waving the special fruit under his nose like smelling salts, it doesn’t take long for TayTay to snort himself awake, and then blink a couple times before realizing the treat that awaits him.
TayTay: "Apple?"
Sol, visibly relieved, smiles before lightly tossing it to fall in the glutton’s mouth.
Sol: "I spotted a tree in someone’s backyard where we were scouting earlier.
It was supposed to be a secret, but you earned it, Big Guy."
Footsteps make the young lady spin while still kneeling. She sees their invader standing a few yards away from her, with his AIG strapped around his waist and gun strapped across his chest.
With the lower half of his face still covered, his cold blue eyed stare means business.
Trying not to show any signs of being intimidated, the brave girl holds her arms out as if to protect her recovering human tank.
Sol: "You won.
Just leave us two alone.
But the offer is still on the table if you want to dispose of that other one though?"
She points her thumb towards the unconscious Gunner facedown in the grass.
To her surprise, Vegetius reaches up to his nose, and just like inside the moon Mindscape earlier, the lone soldier reveals his face in the presence of a single woman.
Sol blushes at the handsomeness of the enemy soldier currently at war against Takamagahara and the Erinyes.
Vegetius: "I’ll leave you all alone if you point me in the direction of a girl with platinum hair."
The innocent teen is obviously flummoxed by the full facial appearance of the mature looking warrior, and an adorably shy Sol points while avoiding eye contact with the gorgeous young man.
Vegetius then looks that way, then back at Sol.
Vegetius: "Thank you, and..."
He pinches his cloth facemask once more, to return it back up to conceal his identity to actual threats, after...
Vegetius: "... I’m sorry this had to happen."
Startling both of them is the approaching shouts from Scylia, and the unique sense of her current SharedSoulSeiõrShield.
Vegetius takes off in the opposite direction of the yelling, and he disappears into the trees.
As Taylor struggles to accomplish one sit up to get up, Sol comes back to her senses and the usually rational member of the group realizes exactly what mistake she made.
Sol: "Wait, why did he want to know where Itsuka is instead of Shelly?"
Not a second after the thought, Scylia carrying Persephone emerges from the treeline on the same side of the freeway.
Both women are covered in the special 2nd Generation DæMon’s rainbow SoulSeiõrShield.
The particularly perceptive Persephone first spots the defeated group, taps her driver’s shoulder and points over.
Almost in perfect timing for groaning, face down Dom to wake up from his knocked out daze and slowly gets up. His hand over his symbiote eye.
Dom: "Ugh, I think...
Fuck...
My IceEye is sore."
Scylia strides over and is relieved as she looks at the younger members alive and awake.
Scylia: "Everyone still in one piece?"
The oldest of the current bunch kneels down so her rider can easily dismount and does Persephone hops down.
Different from all the other SharedSoulSeiõrShields, Persephone’s beautiful magic armor stays around the pink eyed author, as well as her ally, even without any physical contact.
The novel writer rummages through her small satchel, excitedly removing her notebook and pen. She sits cross legged next to Tay and Sol, staring at the other teenage girl with intense interest.
Persephone: "What happened!?
Please, tell me everything you can remember!"
Behind a confused Sol, the overweight beast finally gets enough momentum to sit himself upright.
Sol puts a hand on his shoulder and is more than happy to oblige.
She looks over at the spared loser still slumped on the grass.
Sol: "Well you’ll have to get the original encounter from the impatient dumbass over there.
But you’re lucky, I tried to get rid of him, and even the enemy doesn’t want him."
From Scylia and Sol’s walkie talkie there comes a simultaneous *BLOOP!* and Charybdis’ voice proceeds.
Charybdis Voice: "Hey, did you guys end up getting that soldier Dom was talking about?
Cuz I’ve spotted a solo Vinland guy running through the trees on my way over.
I’m going to follow him without trying to create a confrontation to see exactly what he’s doing by himself.
Over."
...
{Fifteen Minutes Later}
[Northern Demon District]
SeiõrSnow continues to fall from the cloud scattered sky over the post apocalyptic island town.
Jesse James’ Voice: "Humans are a group of defiant creatures simply because they have evolved on a celestial home that has been constantly trying to escape the gravitational pull towards the ball of gases we heavily depend on to live and thrive..."
In the noiseless neighborhood, a pair of heavy boots can be heard hitting the asphalt in the pace of a fast jog.
Jesse James’ Voice: "...For that reason, and no matter how many security measures are established or integrated into society, there will always be a few individuals or groups trying to get around them. Attempting to escape or abuse governmental regulations, justifying their actions as vigilantism."
Slowing down his jog to a steady walk, the incredible physically fit, lightly sweating Vegetius has already made it to the backstreets of a suburban neighborhood.
Jesse James’ Voice: "Unfortunately, most of those rebels are in actually lazy opportunists with no moral compass or integrity.
But what I am trying to do is redefine gravity."
After remembering the words of his Messiah to keep him going, Vegetius looks around the new area.
Vegetius(thinking): *I hope that girl actually pointed me in the right direction...but I can’t stop now.
The Messiah is counting on me to find Pontius.
And if that blonde woman is true to her word, all I need to do is fight whoever this platinum haired woman is.*
He turns around and has a thousand yard stares down the road he just traveled from.
Vegetius(thinking): *...But why have I been getting a sense of intense danger being mixed with the Sheriff’s presence continuously coming from the North?
...Well, I guess if I can still sense her spirit-*
The military boots immediately stop and the sense of danger he is referring to hits the well composed warrior like an invisible truck and the soldier rips off his mask just in time to avoid throwing up inside it.
In a more violently nauseous version of seasickness, the Old Norse magic user instantly feels better after puking and he wipes his mouth and now heavily sweating forehead with the sleeves of his uniform.
After a couple of pallette cleansing spits later, the sweat dripping soldier takes a few moments to regain his composure, leaning up against a metal mailbox.
Vegetius: "Why...
After whatever that was, I don’t feel that malice, but why don’t I feel the Sheriff’s presence anymore either?"
His blue eyes widen once the thought of his Messiah having lost crosses the faithful follower’s mind.
Although, confident in his leader, he discards the notion almost immediately and fixes the thin cloth back over the lower half of his scowling face.
Vegetius(thinking): *There must be another reason, and even if she is...*
Swallowing his spit he begins thinking about being on an enemy island without the watchful eye of his own personal God.
Vegetius(thinking): *No matter what, my mission is to locate, secure, and evac the captured Lieutenant Pontius Hudson.
Then, I guess, we can only go on from there...*
He continues walking down the lightly SeiõrSnow dusted road towards a single road interesting on the right.
The soldier takes a look down the street and someone catches his eye.
Bobbing up and down in the usual active, combatant style, a pair of platinum swirling pigtails appearing from the top of the hill it leads down.
Soon, the Takamagahara member responsible of defending the civilian cul-de-sac under Zoram’s SeiõrStar within the same neighborhood reveals herself walking down the asphalt road towards him.
An equally visible expression of determination is written all over Itsuka’s gorgeous face.
