The Juggernaut

18. Danse Macabre

Juggernaut and his crew stopped as they entered a massive cavern, seemingly mined out to be akin to an arena. Large pillars held up the roof, making sure the whole cave didn't collapse.

"This is one hell of a trap if I've ever seen one." Hardwire mutters, her tail swishing worriedly.

"We'll humour the duck, then we'll humiliate the duck." Juggernaut signs. "Just take care of yourselves."

The three step forward, watching as dozens of men appear on the upper ramparts, aiming their crossbows at the three as Dots' voice echoed out from above. The liberi duck had obtained a mining mech and upgraded it, giving it armor and one of the arms a mining drill.

"You really are a meathead!" He said, roaring with laughter as Juggernaut stared at him with his unwavering gaze.

"Now take off the armor. I want to see the ugly fuck underneath all that steel. Oh, and if you refuse, I'll have my men riddle your friends here with arrows." Dots said, jumping from above and landing in front of Juggernaut and the others.

"Boss, don't even think about it. Not in this environment-" Hardwire began, only for Juggernaut to stop her with a raise of his hand.

Juggernaut began to take off their armor as told, each piece landing on the floor with a heavy thud while leaving a dent in the floor.

His once long white hair now cut short is released from his helmet, his flaming red eyes stared deep into Dots. Without his armor, Juggernaut still looked terrifying, built like a fridge and still taller than everyone there.

Two men tried to take Juggernaut's armor but couldn't even lift it, opting to grab Hardwire and Blitzkrieg and haul them away as Ducks began to laugh maniacally.

"And now I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Dots threw a heavy punch with the mech, it's fist slamming into Juggernaut and sending him flying into a wall. Charging in, Dots grabbed Juggernaut and began slamming him into the ground and floor over and over again.

Blitzkrieg winced as he watched Juggernaut start to get a beatdown from Dots and his massive robot. He knew his boss was tough enough to take this, but it still didn't seem any less painful.

Dots dragged the man against the wall before flinging him into a pillar, causing it to crumble and crash down on top of Juggernaut.

"AHAHA! TAKE THAT, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Dots roared, turning away to look up at Hardwire and Blitzkrieg with a mad grin. "And that's what happens when you fuck with me!"

Dots froze as he heard the sound of rocks being pushed away, turning  around to find Juggernaut standing up from the rubble and brushing the dirt and dust from his clothes casually, as if the punishment Dots tried to serve had done nothing.

"How the fuck are you still standing...?" Dots said, confusion leaking into his voice as he stared at the man.

"Are you done yet?" Juggernaut asked calmly, his voice a whisper yet heard clearly by his enemy as his eyes glowed like a roaring flame. "If you are, then surrender before I rip you out of that mech by your throat."

"Shut up, you fat fuck!" Dots roared, charging the mech forward and throwing a heavy handed punch at him with the mining drill.

Juggernaut simply caught it with both hands.

Dots was shocked, needless to say. This mech must have weighed more than four times than what Juggernaut looked to weigh.

Hardwire chuckled to herself, looking down at her boss who was cracking his knuckles.

"What's so funny?" Asked one of the men guarding her.

"His armor isn't only a tool, it also acts as a restraint for him." Hardwire said smugly. "Without it, he'd go a bit overboard, y'know?"

"What the..."

Juggernaut gripped the drill arm of the mech tightly before tearing it off with raw strength, throwing it at the people guarding Hardwire and Blitzkrieg. Needless to say they squealed like pussies and ran away as it landed, Hardwire and Blitzkrieg quickly using the sharp metal parts of the drill to cut their bonds and free themselves.

"Thanks boss!" Blitzkrieg shouted as he ducked the swing of a mercenary before kicking him into the arena and charging at the rest of the mercs.

Hardwire picked up her satchel and pulled out a flat metal box, throwing it at a group of mercenaries running at her. The box split open, releasing metal wires that latched onto the mercs and entangled their bodies, forcing them to the floor.

"Nice try, idiots." She grinned, turning around to see Blitzkrieg cratering in the skull of the last remaining mercenary. "Oi, Blitzkrieg. Gather them all up."

Juggernaut then started his assault on Dots, each punch and kick he threw leaving a sizeable dent in it's armor. Each attack the mech threw was easily deflected and countered, every chance to exploit it's weaknesses taken by Juggernaut. Every missed punch was given a kick in return. Each moment of hesitation punished by another heavy blow.

It was if the armor that Juggernaut wore was a prison, every inch of metal and kevlar made to bind and hold him down with the weight of the world itself. And now that he was free, he was unstoppable.

Dots went in with a wide right hook, which Juggernaut countered by slamming his fist into it and stopping it dead in it's tracks, using his Arts to send the arm away from him. He then swiftly followed up by launching himself forward and landing on the mech, planting his palm on it's shoulder and completely blowing the drill arm off with another blast of his Arts.

Dots grabbed Juggernaut from his shoulder and bashed him against a wall, dragging him across it before tossing him away. Juggernaut rolled to his feet and grabbed a large chunk of debris, hurtling it at the mech which Dots blocked with the mech's arm. Juggernaut used the moment to sprint in and start pummelling the mech armor, using his Arts to make small explosions on impact with each punch which forced the mech back.

He finally lost his temper and took a wild swing with the mech, falling directly into Juggernaut's trap. Juggernaut sidestepped the throw and grabbed the mech's remaining arm, using it's own momentum to throw it onto it's back and tear the arm off.

As Dots struggled to get the mech to recover, Juggernaut climbed on top of the mech and balled his hand into a fist, swinging the back of his hand into the side of the hatch, combining the force of his swing with his Arts to obliterate the hatch.

"W-Wait! I surrend- GHLK!"

Dots was cut off by Juggernaut grabbing his by the throat and ripping him out of the mech, the duck now gasping for air feebly as he squwaked in fear.

"You're going to answer my question straightforward and clearly, or I'm going to cook you from the inside out. Who supplied you the LOIDs?"

"H-How do you- Grrrk-!"

"Five. Four. Three."

"A c-contact in Colombia! They needed to experiment with them, so they paid us to do it!" Dots says. "His name is Orlando! Orlando!"

"Congrats. For this, I won't snap your neck." Juggernaut says, before knocking the duck out cold.

Hardwire jumped down into the pit and rushed over to Juggernaut.

"Boss! You're hurt..." She says, looking at the piece of rebar that punched straight through his shoulder.

"I have been through worse, Hardwire. You and Blitzkrieg secure Dots and take him back up. I will clear out the mines. With these men gone, It'll be easier to complete the primary objective. Oh, and report to the others that our secondary objective has been completed."

"What about your armor Boss?" Blitzkrieg asked, watching Juggernaut  walk deeper into the mines.

"I'm going to get a bit of frustration out."

And with that, he disappeared into the darkness.

-----

Hey guys, Spec here. I've got no excuses for not writing for so long past getting writers block and laziness. I've also decided this is going to go on a different path instead of Arknights' main story so that I can do a little bit more of my own stuff. Hope you enjoy what I have planned next.

- Sincerely, a bag of raw uncooked potatoes.