"Ahhh!!"
The anguished cries and frantic wails of terrified citizens reverberated through the city as the evacuation of the second district under siege continued. Amid the chaos, police officers directed the evacuation, attempting to impose order.
"One way! One way! Move, move, move!"
"There's no need to panic. Everything's going to be fine. Let the exorcists handle—"
BOOM!!!
The officer's attempt at reassurance to the petrified civilians was abruptly silenced by a thunderous explosion from the battleground not so far away from them.
Eyes widening in terror, he watched as a thick, gray mushroom cloud of smoke billowed into the sky. Trembling, he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over the pandemonium.
"Everything's going to be okay..."
Pausing his speech, he rants inwardly, contemplating why he was there in the first place. Regardless of his status as a law enforcement officer, at juncture all he truly wanted was to get as far away from the battle as he could, irrespective of his oath.
"What a joke. Those useless exorcists are losing. If they lose, then we're... we're..."
"...We're going to die."
***
Moments earlier, Eddy stood in an empty alley, unperturbed by the ominous sight before him. The phrase "Thanksgiving Massacre" was scrawled in blood on the wall. Despite its menacing implication, Eddy remained unfazed.
With a resigned sigh, he scratched his head and stared at the grotesque message with a disinterested gaze.
"Thanksgiving Massacre, huh?...Whatever did this must be an intelligent possessed. If it's intelligent, it won't be easy to defeat. What a hassle." Eddy murmured to himself.
Pondering the matter, he placed his index finger to his lips, reflecting on his past heroic struggle against Jeremy.
"Hmm... I wonder if it's as formidable as him. If it is, defeating it alone will be—"
BOOM!!
The deafening explosion jolted Eddy from his thoughts, resulting in the exorcist instinctively getting down on a knee.
Turning sharply toward the source of the blast, he scrambled to scale the walls to obtain a view of what the explosion was.
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
Two more resounding explosions followed. Startled, Eddy sprang into action, leaping from wall to wall before hoisting himself onto the roof.
Astonished yet resolute, Eddy surveyed the devastated districts below. Thick smoke obscured his view, but he could sense the gravity of the situation.
"...Thanksgiving Massacre?!"
Tsk
Hissing in annoyance, he clenches his teeths in rage as he ponders inwardly.
"I'll be damned if I let that happen on my watch." he muttered fiercely.
Without hesitation, Eddy vaulted from rooftop to rooftop, heading towards the now-partially destroyed areas.
***
Slash!
Slash!
Exorcists continued their desperate battle, cutting through the possessed in their path. Despite their efforts, the numbers of the possessed only seemed to swell. The exorcists' struggle became increasingly one-sided as the possessed closed in, their relentless onslaught overwhelming the defenders.
One out of the many exorcists, fighting valiantly, noticed the encroaching sea of possessed on all sides. Cornered and disheartened, he retreated a few steps, his hands trembling and sweat trickling down his face.
"We're trapped...damn it...damn it all... I didn't sign up to die like this. Where the hell do they keep coming from?"
A nearby explosion obliterated a cluster of possessed, but the rookie exorcist's reprieve was fleeting. His idle movements made him an easy target as three possessed closed in on him, snarling and drooling. They circled him menacingly, forcing him to spin around in a futile attempt to keep them at bay.
From behind the exorcist, a possessed creature lunged, aiming its claws at his neck.
SLASH!
The strike connected but narrowly missed, slicing just centimeters away from the exorcist's throat as he staggered backward. Unfortunately for him, another possessed, positioned at his rear, seized the opportunity.
THUMP!
Turning toward the sound, he felt a searing pain as he was partially sliced across his right shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground. Quickly regaining his footing, he leveled his blade at his attackers. As he took a moment to inspect his wound, he realized how narrowly he had escaped a more grievous injury.
Surrounded once more, the three possessed poised themselves to feast on their cornered prey.
"This is it... this is how I die..." he thought, paralyzed by fear.
In unison, the possessed leaped toward him, targeting three vital points. Adopting a waki stance, he braced himself for his final stand.
"How... disgraceful." he thought, trembling as terror coursed through him.
SLASH!
SLASH!
SLASH!
THUD!
The sound of a thud echoed, and the exorcist fell to his knees, partially bloodied and breathing heavily.
"Was... Was I hit?"
He glanced at his clothes, noting no new injuries, but saw a few drops of blood in front of him. Raising his gaze, he saw a figure standing before him: Eddy, his katana bloodied and unsheathed.
"You're alive. Good. I still need you." Eddy said, casting a cold glance at the exorcist.
Dumbfounded and paralyzed with fear, the exorcist turned his head, searching for the possessed. Gasping, he saw the three possessed, severed cleanly at the waist, lying in pieces. He looked back at Eddy, awed by the prodigious figure before him.
"So, this is Eddy Lawler... incredible." he thought.
"Rise. The fight isn't over. We have many more possessed to deal with." Eddy commanded as he returned his glance to the forthcoming possesseds.
The exorcist lowered his head, trembling with fear.
"I... I... I can't. Many of us are already dead. Fighting is futile."
"I know there's no one else to exorcise the possessed, but... I... I..."
He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in shame, tears streaming down his face.
"I don't want to die! Not here. Not like this!"
Eddy, observing the cowardice before him, hesitated briefly before turning away.
"Then don't die. You're not the only one with a family. We all do. That's why we fight—to protect them. That's the duty of an exorcist."
"If you want to be useless, do it somewhere else. The battlefield is no place for cowards." Eddy added, stepping forward toward the rampaging horde.
The exorcist, grinding his teeth and shaking with frustration, rose to his feet. Picking up his katana, he resolved to follow Eddy.
"I... I won't die... I won't die," he muttered determinedly as he advanced toward the chaos.
***
On a rooftop, atop a tank, Charlie the Owl was seated, surveying the battlefield as he moved his owl head in a rotating format, as a regular owl would.
The exorcists confronted the remaining possessed, their resolve steeled for the impending fight but they were not aware that the real Thanksgiving massacre was yet to begin.