The first five years were chaos. Horror. The death toll was incalculable. Leviathan and Behemoth rampaged across the earth, laid waste to everything. Barely any capes were left to fight them. Cities burned. Nations crumbled. Society was on the brink of collapse.
But the S rank threats were dead too. Nilbog. Ash Beast. The Slaughterhouse 9 and the CUI. For the first time in decades, there were no parahuman warlords. There were barely any parahumans at all. And so tentatively, cautiously, the world began to push back.
For the first time in history, what remained of countries across the globe banded together to fight the apocalypse. The seas filled with warships, legions of tanks rolled across the earth, and fighter jets scoured the skies. Conventional, non-radioactive weaponry followed the Endbringers wherever they went.
It didn’t kill them. But it slowed them down. Gave us time. We forged bunkers, shelters, cities on massive helicarriers, so far up the monsters couldn’t reach. We raided Cauldron caches for vials, built up parahuman armies from well-trained, experienced soldiers instead of traumatized children. And slowly but surely, we began to win. We still bled, but we bled them too. Behemoth lost an arm in Detroit. Leviathan turned tail and ran in Shanghai.
Slowly but surely, we began to hope once more.
We thought we were beating back the devil, but He was with us all along. Every step of the way. Leading the charge. Waiting. Watching. Wanting us to think we could win. Just because it would make our loss that much sweeter.
He tore out our hope and ate it still-beating.
-Kamil Armstrong, Commander-in-Chief of the Gold Morning Alliance
~~~
Title: Beelzebub of the Masquerade.
Also known as: The Devil, The Gentleman, Lord of Flies, and The Vile Titan.
Activity: Unknown.
Area: Unknown.
Bio: The 4th Titan, birthed by the Warrior’s psychic scream. No Titan is feared quite like Beelzebub. No Titan is responsible for more death, destruction, and ruin than Beelzebub. Beelzebub’s true form is unknown, as it has only ever been recorded or witnessed wearing the forms of others. It is possible that Beelzebub only reveals its true self to those it is about to kill.
Beelzebub is able to shape its form, a swarm of flies millions strong, into anything it desires, human or otherwise. Beelzebub can even copy the forms of Blessed that have died by its hand. When in these forms, Beelzebub gains their powers as well, though it cannot copy Gifts. It never loses a copy once it gains them, except if it dies whilst in the copied form. It can only replicate one Blessed at a time. It is unknown whether Beelzebub can copy the powers of other Titans.
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Though not the strongest Titan in direct combat, Beelzebub’s proficiency is in infiltration, deception, and subterfuge. Beelzebub will target a successful city, organization, or alliance and slowly tear it apart from within. It will assassinate and impersonate people in positions of power, sow dissent amongst the populace and generally cause chaos. It may spend months, or even years doing so, all the while unnoticed. It is very difficult to kill Beelzebub, as it can change forms (and therefore powers) instantaneously at will and may resurrect from any one of the millions of flies that make up its body. However, it is possible to defeat the Titan through other means.
As soon as someone recognizes Beelzebub as a fake, and warns a single other person, the Titan will arrest its efforts and retreat. If Beelzebub is able to kill the aware individual prior to them being able to warn another, it will not retreat. Additionally, after recognition, if any number of individuals engage Beelzebub, it will delay its departure to fight each of the offending parties.
Personality: Unlike the other Titans, Beelzebub demonstrates a remarkable degree of intelligence and understanding of the human psyche. It is able to converse and otherwise interact with humans without any difficulty, even assuming the traits and quirks of those it impersonates with ease.
While most Titans display little care for the lives of humanity, Beelzebub actually seems to take pleasure in our suffering, going so far as to mock, deride, and even torture those it interacts with. There is no line Beelzebub will not cross, no undertaking too horrific or cruel. If possible, Beelzebub will attempt to not only kill those it impersonates, but destroy their legacy, leaking their darkest secrets and tarnishing their memory in any way that it can. Upon discovery, the Titan will try to goad those around it into attacking and is all too often successful.
While I would liken most Titans to walking calamities or natural disasters, Beelzebub is truly evil.
To help identify the Titan and thereby mitigate the amount of damage it can deal, a list of personality quirks it seems to exhibit has been created and is steadily growing. Beelzebub does not always display these traits, and they vary based upon the individual it impersonates. This entry has been updated with the following:
-When possible, Beelzebub will present itself well-dressed, in a suit or formal wear.
-Beelzebub’s movements tend to be polished and precise–more so than those it impersonates.
-Beelzebub displays a proclivity for chewing mint leaves, though the purpose of this is unknown.
-Beelzebub consumes large amounts of food, generally red meat, and drink, generally spirits.
-Beelzebub demonstrates a measure of compassion for cloven-footed creatures such as goats and sheep.
-Beelzebub may emit a constant subsonic buzz in a 100 meter sphere around it, detectable by potent auditory capes. This buzz will affect people’s minds, making them tired, angry, and even driving them mad if exposed to it for a long enough duration.
Beelzebub has not been seen for a long time. A very long time. Centuries, if the Vault’s records are to be believed. Many rejoice at this news, yet I cannot help but fear.
No news is not good news, not when it comes to the Devil.
-Excerpt from A Treatise on the Nature and Manner of Titans for Internal Circulation by Chief Chronicler Axio.