In 2034, the third World War broke out, following over a decade of rising political tensions. The People’s Republic of China struck first, launching ICBMs at multiple NATO-aligned nations. The United States retaliated, launching their own nuclear arsenal at China, Russia, and their allies. What followed was five years of bloodshed across the globe, eventually escalating into the use of biochemical weapons.
And just as suddenly as the war began, it ended.
On October 27th, 2039, the world changed again. Massive, previously undiscovered beasts began appearing around the globe. While some were peaceful unless provoked, most actively sought out human civilization. Many believed these monsters were Gaia’s vengeance, or even embodiments of the wrath of God. A Japanese news outlet began calling them “Tenshi”, and the name stuck.
On April 4th, 2041, world governments established a multinational coalition known as the Tenshi Defense Coalition.Their goal was simple: repel, study, and (if at all possible) destroy Tenshi. In the next year the TDC invested as much time, money, and effort into studying Tenshi for possible weaknesses, as well as identifying and tracking as many of them as possible.
As cities were ravaged across the globe, some began to recognize a pattern. Most of the Tenshi, despite being separate, distinct species, were obeying commands from nine of the most powerful monsters. While all Tenshi communicate with infrasound, these nine gave out a certain signal that communicated their strength. These nine were designated “Archons” by the TDC. Each Archon possessed a territory between several hundred thousand to several million square kilometers. While the Archon allowed weaker Tenshi to remain in their territory, they aggressively patrolled and defended it against their fellow Archons.
In 2089, New San Francisco was destroyed in a battle between two of the Archons, and the TDC was pressured to find a way to prevent the loss of another city. In an attempt to communicate with the Tenshi, a new plan was proposed to the remaining governments: Project Zasshu. To attempt communication with the Tenshi, nine children would be infused with the DNA of the Archons. Over the course of four years, nine mothers gave birth to healthy, human-Tenshi hybrids.
The current year is 2106. The Tenshi have killed billions, and the remaining cities are surrounded by a combination of solid walls and energy barriers, though some are buried deep underground. The nine Zasshu have been brought together in Japan, where the Archon of the region has been surprisingly tolerant of the humans in its territory.
Tenshi Classification
Probably goes without saying, but the Zasshu will be more or less the size of a normal human.
