The Reaper's Creed. [Arknights fanfiction.]

Introduction.

Terra, a relentlessly harsh world teeming with catastrophic events and unyielding hardship, remains surprisingly resilient. Its inhabitants have ingeniously devised various strategies to confront its formidable challenges.

The reaper, a dread-inducing title feared by both the mortal and the immortal denizens of Terra, strikes terror into the hearts of the infected and the non-infected alike.

In a realm where all existence meets its inevitable end, known as death, the reapers emerge as the harbingers of fate, delivering it to those deemed deserving.

The shrouded identity behind the enigmatic reaper remains a mystery, leaving only certainty that encountering him usually signals one's final moments.

You might wonder why tales and whispers surrounding the reaper echo like chilling bedtime stories, intended to haunt even the bravest souls.

These narratives exist to instill fear within those individuals who wield excessive power and exhibit hubris, those who erroneously perceive themselves as impervious or unstoppable. After all, the reaper specializes in humbling those who sorely need a dose of "humility."

The reaper's presence first came to light upon joining the ICA, the clandestine International Contract Agency, an organization harboring an underground network of assassins, hitmen, killers, and infiltrators. This agency covertly undertakes missions ranging from escort tasks and reconnaissance to assassinations, infiltrations, and safeguarding operations.

Initially, contractors directly affiliated with the ICA accept and review contracts before assigning them to their designated prosecutors.

The rewards for completing each contract fluctuate based on the mission's importance and criticality. For instance, contracts involving high-ranking government officials guarantee rewards surpassing millions of LMD, if not more. Naturally, it's the risk-laden assignments that yield the most substantial compensations.

This is precisely the path the reaper treaded. Since his affiliation with the organization, he engaged in arduous, high-difficulty missions, infiltrating top-secret military installations housing weapons of mass destruction or deranged military leaders driven by fanaticism.

Years of relentless operations propelled him to a position of prominence across all of Terra's nations. Thus, the reaper acquired an array of monikers, each hinting at his fearsome reputation.

Through the multitude of lives he extinguished, he sowed the seeds of dread, inadvertently fostering an era of temporary tranquility across nations.

Ironically, the title "Reaper" inadvertently ushered in an era of global peace.

However, beneath the terror he invoked, the reaper existed in solitude, his identity veiled by an impenetrable shroud of mystery. His true origins, past, and motivations remained elusive. Some speculated he sought redemption for a shadowed history, while others whispered he was a wrathful spirit seeking recompense for the world's wrongs. Amidst the conjecture, one fact stood unwavering-he was an indomitable force.

On a particularly ominous night, the Reaper received a pivotal contract from the ICA. This mission bore paramount importance-to breach the heavily fortified compound of Ursus, a major superpower known for its prejudice against innocent infected civilians and its zealous quest for supremacy, endangering Terra's newfound harmony.

It was on this fateful day that he would sow absolute dread and chaos among those who inflicted suffering upon others.

According to the intelligence he received, renegade Emperor's Blades-those who directly received commands from the emperor himself-had mutinied and betrayed their sovereign. Their aim: to resurrect Ursus' former glory from centuries past. In this fantastical delusion, they plotted to unleash nuclear warheads on neighboring countries, laying the groundwork for their impending invasion.

In an act of desperation, the emperor and his loyal Blades issued a personal contract to the reaper via the ICA. Their mandate: eliminate the mutinous Blades orchestrating the coup before catastrophe struck.

As time dwindled, and the warheads teetered on the brink of launch, a blinding light engulfed the five major bases in the northern expanse of Ursus,each housing a nuclear payload capable of immense devastation. Towering explosions obliterated these strongholds, their might akin to nuclear warheads, if not surpassing them. These once-potent Ursus bases were reduced to gaping craters, devoid of any trace.

News of this abrupt catastrophe rippled across Terra, leaving its inhabitants aghast. Initially, officials speculated that neighboring nations had initiated the attack. However, further invetigation led to a startling revelation-it wasn't a nuclear strike, but rather something far more sinister.

A power stemming from Arts, a phenomenon emanating from an individual on Terra, now ran rampant. This rogue or unidentified entity pssessed the capability to wield a cataclysmic form of Art, capable of leveling entire cities.

Dread enveloped Terra as news of this entity spread, but over the subsequent years of relative peace, the initial terror gradually waned.

Till this day everything surrounding the existance of the Reaper remained shrouded in mystery, while his Unconcluded story moves on..more questions and perhaps.....revelations will arise.