Humanity was in a Golden Age. Poverty? Non-existent. Hunger? Never heard of it. Gender equality? Well, mostly sorted out. Depression? …Well, there were a few scratches on mankind’s trophy, but overall, the world was a good place.
But we all know good things cannot last forever.
The first sign of the war were the Gates - Massive red portals from the depths of hell. At first they only turned the area around them into a hellish landscape. The problem was easily solved by doing what humans do best, building walls. But soon enough, the first demons came.
Modern weaponry was terrifyingly ineffective against them. Their ‘magic’, as humans called it. The demon’s powers were even strong enough to dampen the effects of a nuke. Most of the major cities fell. Some people prayed. Some people fought for themself. Some gave up. Even with all the prayers in the world, it soon became clear. No "angels" were coming to help.
By the time the scientists had a breakthrough, the demons were already in control of 30% of all land on Earth. Soul magic was first discovered during an autopsy of a demonic corpse. How the soul was contained is unknown, but soon enough, essence was being infused into all kinds of weapons. The demon’s advance was slowed, but still, humans had no good form of defence.
That was, until a new hero stepped up.
XERO, a private arms company owned by multi-trillionaire Xeron Grey, came up with the first Exosuits - soul-powered power-armour suits that, when combined with a few cybernetic implants, allowed a human to absorb and weaponise essence from the air or from other creatures. By this time, demons were in control of 50% of land on Earth. Humans had their first military breakthrough, winning their first battle - The battle of Deathend.
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After that, soul-tech caught the world by storm. The first official Vamp was created. The first orbital-strike cannons were created. Anti-Gate Field generators were created. The first HYDRA saw its first battle. Even the Government couldn’t keep up with the rate of technology produced by XERO. Humans had managed to push the demons back. By then, the fiends are in control of only 40% of land on Earth.
But there’s a catch.
When fighting demons, one must make sure not to become a demon themself.
Because there are certainly more than one kind of demon.
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Four figures stood in the depths of night. Well, where they were, it was always night. The smoke created by XERO’s ever-expanding factories loomed ominously above them.
“Alright, everyone.” The first said. “You know the drill.”
“Yep, we shouldn’t worry! Nothing but our lives are on the line!” The second joked.
“Now, don’t be like that.” A third figure stood up from the nearby crates. “We’ve been training for this mission for months! Way too long for a simple mission like this one.”
“Don’t let your ego get ahead of you. The best thing would be if there are no casualties. No guns, no swords.” The first commanded them.
The second looked at the first. “What about Plan B?”
“Furtive? Are the explosives ready?”
A fourth came out from the shadows. “The charges are in place and the detonators ready, sir.”
“Good. Let us hope we don’t have to use them.” The first began to walk away. “Move out, everyone!”
The four figures disappeared into the night.