Chapter Text
***5 Years Ago***
A panicked and hysterical hellhound bodyguard raced through his overlord boss’s complex hallway, looking paler than a ghost, like he had seen an actual ghost
Well, no, actually. It was more like he had seen death itself
After a few more moments, the hellhound named Alex reached the office of his overlord: Marcellus, the Overlord of Theater, and busted into the room without a second to spare
“SIR! I’m sorry to bother you, but we have a situation!!” the hellhound yelled at his boss, who appeared to be in the middle of torturing a poor soul
Marcellus glanced back at his hellhound head of security, who wore a flowing red and gold robe emblazoned with the masks of comedy and tragedy. His own figure was lean, draped in dark red, almost black, and his face reflected the iconic expressions of comedy and tragedy
And he appeared plenty bothered for being disturbed while torturing a soul
"ALEX! How many times have I told thee—interrupt me not in the midst of torture? What matter is so urgent that thou wouldst have me end this fantastic performance before its grand finale?" The overlord demanded before instantly snapping the neck off of the demon he was in the middle of tormenting
The hellhound stepped back nervously, anxious about Marcellus's wrath, before quickly speaking his words
“Sir, there's been a break-in. I think we’re under attack,” the hellhound spoke with fear in his voice. “The security system went down an hour ago. I thought it was just a stupid fucking error on the security team’s part… until I went down to their office and found them all with bullets in their skulls…”
The Overlord of Theater’s tragedy face quickly turned to anger
"What, how?! How could this dreadful turn come to pass?!" Marcellus’ tragic face then turned to anger, and he grew in size as he overshadowed his hellhound head of security in a rage
“SCOUR EACH FLOOR— SUMMON THY MEN WITH HASTE! FIND THIS CURSED MARAUDER FORTHWITH, OR BY LUCIFER HIMSELF, ALL OF YOUR HEADS SHALL ROLL!” He bellowed at Alex, who only whimpered in defeat at his boss’s anger
“That's the problem, sir… none of my men are responding” Alex told him, and the Overlord’s tragic face turned to shock as he shrank back and walked to his desk
"This should not be within the realm of possibility. Thine actors stand watch on every floor, aye, even the roof and the ground beneath our feet—all armed with the finest arms my coin can muster. Who dares defy such craft? Nay, better yet..."
Marcellus' comedy face turned into a sadistic grin
"Who dares provoke the Overlord of Theater? I am the master of this grand play, and I shall not be written out of my own script!"
Alex observed as his boss used his magic to summon a miniature theater displaying multiple views of the building, and what they saw left them both petrified
Everyone was dead
The rooftop guards were dead, with each of their throats cleanly slit, and the ground team was torn apart in a mess of dismembered limbs. Workers who handled Marcellus’ drug shipments on the lower levels were riddled with bullet holes, and even the cafeteria staff hadn’t been spared—slaughtered by their own equipment, and the head cook’s face grotesquely submerged in the deep fryer
Whoever was here was pissed, and had a mission
The hellhound looked at his boss and offered a suggestion in pure fear
“Sir... perhaps this is the doing of another Overlord?” He shuddered. “Oh fuck... what if it's Zestial...?”
The Overlord of Theater waved off that suggestion quickly, however, and turned off his viewing magic. "Nay, this bears not the mark of that Shakespearean devil. Zestial delights in the torment of his prey, much like the rest of us who bear the title Overlord… and also, these corpses lie untouched—no feast of flesh has partaken on them"
A rumble and explosion suddenly rocked the building, and the overlord and hellhound exchanged worried glances
“SHIT! WHAT IF IT’S THE NEW GUY, ALASTOR!?!” The hellhound began to panic, and Marcellus quickly grabbed and slapped his lackey out of his hysterical state
"Steel thy nerves, you grangey mutt! Alastor may wield great power, yet he would never presume to strike at one such as I. No, I sense naught of his sorcery within these halls—it is not he who moves against me. He would not dare lift hand 'gainst me whilst still grasping at the reins of his rising strength" He scolded his security chief before magically sealing the doors, making sure nobody else would reach this room
Suddenly, another explosion erupted somewhere within the building, and Alex was nearly ready to leap out the window to escape whatever was approaching
Unfortunately for him, Marcellus restrained him with his claws as both of his faces contorted with anger. “THOU SHALT NOT LEAVE ME FOOL! THOU ART MY LAST LINE OF DEFENSE!” he yelled before another rumble echoed, but this time it was coming from the door
Marcellus let go of Alex as the former whimpered in fear. “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…”
"Silence, thou wretched mutt! The door is bound by my magic. Whosoever lurks shall not break through-!"
The overlord of the theater was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a pin being pulled and dropping from the other side of the door, accompanied by the noise of someone stepping back from said door
“...Alex… what was that sound-”
BOOM!
The office doors burst open as debris scattered everywhere, and a small figure emerged from the chaos, wielding two silver, blessed revolvers in their hands, a dark red and black duster coat over a bulletproof vest, and a bright red, bloody helmet
It was the Royal Ripper
Marcellus’ usual calm and collected mentality, along with his Shakespearean demeanor, quickly shifted to one of panic, desperation, and an overwhelming urge to run
“NO!!” The overlord quickly yelled in rage, growing larger, with one of his faces showing anger and the other displaying panic
The overlord quickly seized Alex and held him in front of himself, intending to use the hellhound as a human shield against Hell’s most formidable assassin
“Sir! What are you-”
“SHUT IT, YOU MUTT! THIS IS YOUR JOB!” Marcellus roared at his guard as he wrapped his dark tentacles around the hellhound to restrain him from moving
The Royal Ripper only tilted his head at the scene in front of him
"HEARKEN TO MY MUSIC, THOU LITTLE WRETCH!" Marcellus roared, his voice booming like a crack of thunder as the Overlord of Theater summoned a massive, glowing orchestral note, hurling it at the Royal Ripper. It screamed through the air like a blade of pure sound, cutting through the space between them with a terrifying hum
But the Royal Ripper was faster. With a fluid motion, he darted sideways, his body twisting like a coil of raw fury. He vaulted off a nearby wall, using it to launch himself high into the air. In a blur of motion, he landed a devastating roundhouse kick to Marcellus' tragic face—sending the Overlord stumbling backward
But Vesper wasent done
With lightning speed, the Ripper grabbed Marcellus' comedic face—his fingers digging into the Overlord’s flesh—and, in a brutal motion, drove two gleaming daggers deep into his eyes, silencing the Overlord’s mockery with a sharp, sickening stab
"AHHHH! YOU LITTLE WRETCH!" Marcellus bellowed, his voice dripping with rage and agony. He lashed out in blind fury, claws extended, and with one violent swipe, hurled his bodyguard straight at the Royal Ripper
The hellhound flew through the air like a missile, but the Ripper ducked just in time, and the hellhound crashed against the wall with a crunch
“Ow…” Alex groaned, his voice barely audible
The Royal Ripper didn’t spare him a second glance
His target was Marcellus
He dodged another furious, sloppy swipe from the Overlord as the Ripper spun around and, with deadly precision, cocked his revolver and fired a blessed round straight into Marcellus' chest
The Overlord gasped as the bullet punctured his heart, his form beginning to shrink like a deflating balloon, the power fading from him due to the blessed metal
The once-proud overlord could only stagger, his body faltering as he let out a defiant, frustrated growl, as desperation burned in Marcellus' eyes
"No! I refuse to fall to a mere imp!" he roared, his voice laced with madness and hate
With one last, desperate act, he unleashed every ounce of his power, and the room flooded with demonic magic. It howled and crackled like a tempest, intent on ripping the Royal Ripper apart and turning the imp to ash
Unfortunately for the Overlord of Theater, however, the Ripper’s arms bore blessed burns that both counteracted Marcellus's magic and reacted painfully to it
And that pissed Vesper off
The Ripper gritted his teeth, his body surging forward through the maelstrom, and with a fierce growl, he sprinted straight through the heart of Marcellus' magic tempest
He leaped, his boots connecting with Marcellus' chest in a thunderous kick, sending the Overlord crashing to the ground with all of his strength
Marcellus, exhausted, his magic drained, lay there, gasping for breath, his once-imposing form crumpled in defeat. The Royal Ripper stood above him, his boot grinding into the Overlord's head
Marcellus, broken and trembling, could only offer a weak, pathetic plea, his pride and ego completely shattered
"WAIT, WAIT! I STILL HAVE MONEY AND POWER! LET ME LIVE AND I CAN GIVE YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT—"
SQUASH!
With no hesitation and absolute brutality, the Royal Ripper pressed down with his boot, crushing Marcellus' skull like rotten fruit
The sound of bone shattering and brain matter splattering filled the air, the sickening noise echoing in the still room. Red blood sprayed across the Ripper’s boots and pants
Marcellus, the once-mighty Overlord of Theater, was no more. Just a broken, bloody smear beneath the Royal Ripper’s heel
The Royal Ripper said nothing as he calmly walked toward the office window, effortlessly unlocking and opening it, as though he desired a pleasant breeze in the building
“He- help me… d-don't leave me here!” A voice suddenly called out, and the Royal Ripper turned to see the hellhound bodyguard, who was somehow still alive
His entire body was bent out of shape from being thrown by Marcellus, with his head on the ground and looking completely distorted like the rest of his body
Vesper had to guess the hellhound’s neck didn't snap all the way when he got thrown by the overlord, leaving him a permanent quadriplegic
He’s not going to be like that for long anyway… Vesper thought wordlessly as he pulled out a small detonator from his coat pocket
“NO! PLEASE, DONT LEAVE ME HERE!” The hellhound screamed and begged, seeing the remote in the Royal Ripper’s hand
But Vesper didn't care
Without missing a beat, he activated the detonator, causing the entire building to rumble as explosions erupted throughout the now-dead Overlord’s complex
The hellhound’s last sight, before the ceiling collapsed on him, was the Royal Ripper jumping out of the window, bloody, dangerous, and with one more overlord kill under his belt…
