The operation was to be straightforward. Of the 330 exterminators 100 of them would be tasked with distracting the Azazel by attacking and making small skirmishes to annoy the monster and forcefully make it use its powers. The other 230 would be tasked with setting up perimeter controls and setting up positions to inflict heavy attacks from afar.
"any signs of the core?" Colonel Obadiah asked as he entered the operations tent.
"none sir we suspect its deep within the body of the monster" said one of the lab coats.
The monster was unusually calm for some reason. It did not act aggressive and all it did was walk around caving in roads and destroying houses and whatever came in its path.
Zane's team is tasked with the 100 exterminators meant to inflict pain on the Azazel.
"only one of us can fly, what the hell are we going to do on the ground, get stomped?" Pierre inquired.
"Rodney is getting teamed up with the ones that can fly. We have been asked to stay on ground and to whatever we can" Captain Will replied.
"Great so they are breaking us apart too" Pierre said.
"Are you gonna keep whining or are you gonna fight?" Captain Will taunted him.
Pierre felt silent. Since the Azazel is oddly not aggressive, the small strikes are meant to make it agitated. Of the 100 exterminators, 63 are able to fly were formed into a battalion. Lieutenant Rodney's powers allowed him to move at highspeed which also allowed him to make long and high jumps. He could scale the monster easily and his Talum were daggers that could inflict precision strikes.
"you make sure you come back, I don't wanna do paperwork to get another lieutenant" Captain Will said to Rodney as he smirked.
"that's the only thing I am going to help you with" Rodney replied as he walked out to join the battalions.
The Azazel was moving. But now it started to increase its speed steadily. The operation was set, as all around the Azazel the exterminators set up posts. Waiting to strike.
Zane's team arrived near the Azazel. It seemed to him that the Azazel did not care at all what was going around it and kept walking. Zane disgust grew more and more as he came closer to the monster. It looked like a zombie with its flesh sticking out. But at the same time he noticed there were parts of its skin that were lighter in tone then the one all around it. It was strange.
"it looks weird" Zane spoke.
"All Azazel's look weird what's so special about this?" Harold said.
"No, its strange, from the rear it looks larger but in front it looks skinnier. In some parts it's got tighter skin while some are wrinkled" Zane explained.
"you're staring too much" Pierre said.
"What else are you noticing Zane?" Archie asked.
Zane took a long look as the vehicles slowly approached the monster.
"it's got stretch marks on the joints and its skin looks thicker than before. Also I noticed a particular wound on its belly near its rear right left foot about 30 minutes ago but…..now it's gone" Zane replies.
"you're seeing things kid" Greg dismissed him.
"No…...He is right I saw it too" Captain Will said.
"This thing is regenerating extremely fast-" Captain Will said before being interrupted.
"It's not regenerating….its growing, growing too fast. Every time it grows it seems its skin can't keep up that's why it looks like a zombie" Zane explained.
"Damn your right, Robert, report to operations we got an attribute, it might come in handy" Captain Will said.
Before he could report, the trucks reached and the exterminators poured out of their trucks. And an order came out.
"ALL FLYING UNITS START ATTACK, ALL GROUND UNITS ATTACK" Colonel Obadiah's voice came in loud and clear on the comms.
The assault started. Zane looked up to see exterminators that looked like large birds, cover the sky and then latch on the monster's side. It was a flurry of attacks with exterminators going left and right, cutting, gouging and ripping the thick skin of the Azazel. Red goo-like blood fell all over the ground. Simultaneously the ground force attacked in an orderly manner. They cut, gouged and pitted holes where the Azazel put its foot on while the ranged combatants aimed at the belly. The Azazel was unfazed by the attacks. It was as if it did not feel anything.
It kept walking and walking not stopping at all. Soon the flying units noticed, the spot where they attacked the Azazel just healed immediately but then burst open with its flesh sticking out. It blistered, ripped opened, grew back and burst opened again and again and again. It was as if the Azazel had gone numb to the feeling of pain.
"Attack the eye." the command came in.
Since the flying units were concentrated on the side, the ranged combatants took the command. Zane ran to the side and in front of the Azazel, and lifted his spear. He charged it up just as other range combatants let loose a barrage of hits. He charged and aimed and concentrated the power. He didn't expect it to hit but he would try and pressed the button.
A sharp glowing light pierced square into the eye and out the Azazel's head and an explosion followed.
"WE GOT A HIT" shouted one of the exterminators.
"IT'S THE GUY WITH THE SPEAR" another yelled.
What followed was pure horror. The Azazel let out a deafening roar that could be heard kilometers away. Zane had angered the monster. Rodney noticed something, a bruise forming from the end to the front of the Azazel that soon got deeper and deeper. His eyes widened in horror. And from below Captain Will looked on as well. The terror grew every second. Will yelled an order.
"ALL UNITS GET AWAY FROM THE AZAZEL ITS OPENING UP"
But before the messaged could reach, the belly and sides of the Azazel opened up a large gaping mouth lined with teeth and exposed the bloody innards of the Azazel. Then a flood of blood erupted from them, devouring the flying units and the ground units.
Zane was burned by the boiling blood fell on the ground with pain. He got up quickly and in front of him was a thing. It was bloody, spiny and on its four legs and with no skin, eyes but a dog shaped mouth with sharp teeth pointing out of everywhere in its jaw. It had large ears and was bloody with horridly shaped claws like that of the elephant Azazel's tusks.
It snarled at Zane before jumping and pouncing on Zane. Zane took a swing and hit the creature with all his might, throwing it away from him before Archie come and claws its head clean off its body.
"this monster is a compound and had parasitic attacks and extreme growth as attributes, the heavy attack won't commence once we clear this these things" Archie informs Zane helping him get up.
Zane is still in shock with what he saw.
"But this thing is just gonna keep puking these little things out, you got any ideas technician?" Archie says and he claws another creature down.
Zane collects himself. If there was something he had noticed it's that these things had be controlled. He saw them all attack in waves like a swarm of bees instead of blindly attacking the target.
He yells for Harold. Harold arrives to him covered in Azazel blood.
"I want you to open this thing up" Zane requests.
"Zane c'mon" Harold says begrudgingly.
"DO IT FAST C'MON" Archie yells.
Harold opens up the creature much to his disgust. He cuts the back of the creature and removes a black stone, supposedly looking like a core. As soon as Harold removes the stone, creature's blood starts draining rapidly and its body melts.
"I think I know what the problem is" Zane says as he looks back at the monster and sees its gaping mouths have been closed and disappeared.
"what's the problem?" Archie asks.
"it's not a parasite, it's the Azazel itself. Its evolving constantly and is producing smaller versions of itself controlled by its core. If you kill the Azazel, you kill these things" Zane says
"how can you justify that? You don't have any proof" Archie says.
"Harold cut open another one" Zane says.
"I swear you….how could you make a soft-hearted man do this?" Harold snivels.
"JUST DO IT YOU PLUMP RED BASTARD" Archie yells.
Harold cuts open another one only to find the false core in the exact same spot as the one they cut open before.
"there's you're proof" Zane points at the core.
Archie smirks at Zane.
"So does that mean the Azazel's got its core in the exact spot as these things?" Archie asks.
"yes sir I'm sure of it" Zane replies.
Archie looks at the corpse and then looks at Zane.
"You're a goddamn technician alright" Archie says.
He reports to Captain Will amidst heavy fighting as the Azazel opens up once more.
"How can Zane be so sure?" Captain Will questions Archie.
"well ya see Captain, he was the first to notice the rapid growing attribute of Azazel, I think I'm pretty sure Zane's right and you can count me responsible." Archie replies.
Captain Will ponders on his decisions, then speaks on the comms.
"I request heavy firing on the end section of the spine" Captain says.
"Why?" says the operational room.
"Cuz we found the core and it's there" Captain Will replies.
The line goes silent for a while and then it wakes up.
"We have detected the core on the position you have reported. Commencing heavy artillery fire all units be advised and take precautions."
The giant barrage of attacks began.