Bolterpyre Sandbox
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PRESENT TIME

"Paladin-Confessor, we are nearing the killing zone!" A voice called from the bow of the submersible motorboat vehicle.

The black-and-gold Tier-6 [[www.wanderers-library.wikidot.com/the-whoremongers-of-misty-mountain|Protectorate]] opened his eyes, revealing brown rhytmically glowing irises. The sky above this region currently has no cloud coverage, however, at further east it was thickly obscured. It does not concern him for now because their objective was not located there, but in the depths beneath the surface of the ocean before them.

He stood from his seat and walked past his crouched fellow Protectorates, who were subordinated under his command. Like them, he, too, possessed a golden crucifix affixed to his right shoulder, as well as a large rosary of the same color that was wound around their waists. The back plate of the Praetorian Battle Gear he wore, powered with Empyrean Arcane Energy, glistened under the sunlight after the star of the planet's system rose above the islet behind them.

He arrived behind the Tier-5 Tribune-Commander and placed a hand over his shoulder.

"Submerge below, Trailblazer." He ordered at the Protectorate in red and grey Battle Gear, who complied with the instruction without hesitation. He reached for a button in the console before him and, in an instant, a transparent canopy enveloped the exposed part of the motorboat and plunged below the surface.

Beneath the ocean, it was nothing but a murky world populated with small creatures the size of a malnourished swine that possessed six tentacles that flailed around. In the middle of the circular lifeform was a mouth that hid rows of sharp teeth. Blackshot glanced at the creature with awe and fascination and briefly said, "Battle Computer, identify."

"Creature-7462/XXDF-18, inhabitant of Triton's Dread, herbivore. No information further available. A robotic voice replied to him. Blackshot could not help but to be astonished at the lifeforms that the Father created. The school of tentacled-herbivores simply floated past the submersible as they descend deeper into the darkest depths.

"Heads up, Confessor." Trailblazer nodded at the view beyond. "Seems like the rest of the Steel Paladins Protectorate Regiment has arrived here."

"Where's the rest of our Regiment?" Blackshot asked as he frowned, which soon evolved into a glare.

"The rest of the Enochian Guards were still translating from Realm-3. Unfortunately, Confessor, the only Enochian Guards there are were what's left of the Forward Force."

"Shit," Blackshot muttered. Beyond, the view illuminated sporadically, tell tale signs of an underwater vessel-to-vessel engagement. His enhanced eyesights allowed him to see much, but the visibility was very low that he could not completely see through behind the veil of sea particles and dust.

To their left, an array of submersible motorboat vehicles, or SMVs, moved in a formation alongside a spear-shaped vessel. The starboard was ornamented with a heraldry that Blackshot recognized as an insignia identified with a revered angelic legion: The Legion of the Weeping Martyrs. Blackshot remembered the fearsome Malakhs of that Legion, whose faceplates were decorated to appear as if they were weeping blood. Portrayed as such, they were, as expected, subservient not only to the Martyrs themselves, but to the Blessed Lady who had displayed miracles before in the form of statues weeping both tears and blood, recorded before the Armageddon Judgment on New Jerusalem, then-Earth.

To the right, other spear-shaped vessels that possessed the same insignia moved in a formation, accompanied by SMVs, mirroring the formation of the opposing fleet. Blackshot was currently unsure what they were planning to do, but the fact that there was engagement beyond might only mean that these vessels are going to reinforce their belleaguered brethrens.

"What are your orders, Confessor?" Trailblazer suddenly asked. Blackshot watched a three-eyed, sleek, midnight black selachian sped vertically from below towards the surface. He did not flinch, but the sudden jumpscare had put him on edge in an instant. After realizing that no threat would occur any second now, he eased.

"Remember the mission, brother. Full speed ahead towards the direction of the Vulgar Heretic."

"Affirmative, brother." Trailblazer replied as he accelerated the speed of the SMV after a few key strokes. The SMV was operated differently, as it was only manipulated through the user's input of progammable (and modifiable) code commands.

The SMV sped through a thick mist of sea particulates as it entered the designated killing zone. A trio of transparent, gelatinous, elongated creature sped across the view, emitting a cry of distress as if they were escaping something. Blackshot did not pay it any attention.

Beyond was a colossal structure of steel, concrete and flesh. From an unobserving eye, it could just be mistaken as a part of a marine rock formation, but the fact that it appeared like a snarling Oni does not imply coincidence to be ignored as a mere natural formation. The hollowed eye sockets of the gigantic hulk was staring straight directly at Blackshot. Its mouth, stretched in a hostile manner, revealed fangs that could impale a Titan as if they were made of butter.

One side of the structure was lit up in clusters of detonations as angelic and Protektovare vessels made a strafing run across its surface. Demonic SMVs fought back, supported by their alien ally, whose leadership had devoted themselves to the fractured army of the dead Lucifer, after false promises of power and wisdom. Blackshot made a fist in front of his face and pumped it downwards. His suit whined in reply as it detected the gesture, prompting it to envelope his face in his headgear, which was part of his back and chest plate.

"Prepare for boarding actions, brothers." The Paladin-Confessor said as he pulled his Blast Rifle magnetically attached on his back. He received replies of affirmatives in unison.

As they approach the Vulgar Heretic, a powerful roar was suddenly heard from the eastern theatre of the front. Blackshot frowned as he turned to its direction. It also caught the attention of Trailblazer, who momentarily lost control of the SMV but regained it instantly.

A dozen of lights could be seen. It was very large that Blackshot thought that elements from Battlegroup Benjamin, their mother fleet, has finally arrived from Realm Translation and had descended to join the fight. However, another roar was heard, so loud and powerful that the SMV was slightly sent off-direction from its destination path. What followed next was the visage of a gigantic angular snout with rows of sharp teeth, much larger than the ones found on Vulgar Heretic. The single eye above the snout was glowing in yellow; a cyclopean giant reptile. However, another head possessing the same feature appeared, and then another, and another, until there were nine of them.

"It's a Child of a Leviathan!" Blackshot screamed. Leviathans were ancient primordial force that predated the dawn of man, and became extinct before humanity learned how to write but not completely extinguished. They were seen as anomalies occuring across the Hourglass Multiverse. Some of them were in the form of darkness that consumes to no end while some were planetoids that rammed everything across its path; or the most scariest of them all, Leviathans that appeared as grotesquely shaped nebulas that simply "assimilates" planet sectors with no pattern, disintegrating them to dust as time goes by.

Hell, located on Realm-12, was the corpse of the First Leviathan, who was personally slain by the Holy Ghost. As punishment for Lucifer's rebellion, it became his prison—a humiliation that the Father disowned him and likened him to the creatures that they previously fought against.

When a Leviathan dies, its bodies scatter across planets, realms and star systems, which became autonomous and gained lives of their own, albeit, dumbed down since they were observed to only act on basic instinct like feeding itself or seeking hunting grounds. These "alive" parts were termed by the angelic choirs, and eventually the Protectorates, as "Children of the Leviathans", since they came from Leviathans themselves. And upon destroying a Child of a Leviathan, they break into much more smaller parts that could only exist inside planets with atmosphere. These iterations were simply called, "Leviathan Device".

As such, they do not have any allegiance with both Heaven and Hell, and an appearance of one would only mean big problems.

"Maintain your heading towards Vulgar Heretic!" Blackshot yelled, his mechanical voice filled the interior of the SMV. "We do not have much time for dealing with a Leviathan Child!"

"But Confessor, the Leviathan Child will intercept us; it's now making its way towards our direction!"

"What?" Blackshot asked. He glanced at the creature once more…

…his last view of the world was the snout of one of its heads ramming straight towards the SMV.

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