Tides Of Protomis LXXVII
The blade of Babylon
This was a strange situation, to say the least… He’d seen some peculiar abilities before, but, as far as he knew, phenomena such as ghosts didn’t exist for any proto-human. And yet, here was this man, claiming to be HIM?
“Tiyamura… I’ve heard of you… You’re the one they called the blade of Babylon, Leader of the Babylon Quartet, am I correct?”
He paused before he received a nod in response and continued.
“As we know it- you died millennia ago…How could someone standing here claim to be that ancient? Are you the product of some proto-human setting up an Illusion?”
TIyamura stepped forward as well.
“No, nothing like that. But I will say I understand your skepticism… However, I can assure you that I am the real Tiyamura. And the one you’ve been fighting, Ardam, he was once my enemy as well. … During my era, and now during this one, he has caused damage to this earth. Whether it be human lives or otherwise… And now, as I have seen, even beyond the sky itself...But that is not all. I know something else.”
“And what would that be?”
“...How he was created.”
1630 BCE,
it was only 10 years ago that advanced species known as the Qun’Mi were ejected from the earth. Though their weapons were potent, try as they might have, the power of the proto-humans went past their strongest nobles, and their forces were reduced by the deadly earth-borne diseases… As such, they cut their losses and exited the planet, leaving both working and inactive pieces of their technology behind. Though their status after the fact was unknown. Following this, though human societies began to use the tech they had gained to grow closer in contact, they barely understood it… the basic foundations of society had not changed. Such was the case in one of many city-states at the time,
Manathi a city-state that lied at the end of the Indus river, flowing out to the Indian Ocean. It was already a significant port beforehand, and many people who passed through constantly made their stops there. However, with the crashing of working Qun’Mi aircraft, a select few were able to travel to and from parts of the world previously unknown to them… However, like many others, many of the glaring problems in their society had not yet been fixed. Such as the dominance those in the upper castes had over society.
On a dreary night, rather ordinary by the city’s standards, the city streets were almost entirely empty. Most did not fancy getting drenched. Save for one person in particular who did not care either way. He was one such affected by the basis of their society, the absolute power of the upper castes. A tan-skinned young man, visibly in his youth. He found himself on a muddied roadway within the city’s outskirts. His face was mostly obscured by strands of oily black hair. Behind the strands, however, were tears streaming down from his eyes. As he saw two familiar beings, a man who looked similar to him and a woman whose hair was a dark purple, lying dead in front of him. At first, he was silent as he stared down upon them, slamming his fist into the ground as he yelled in...A torrent of emotions. Rage, Sadness, Mourning, and confusion. His mind was clouded by the thoughts that ran through. At the least, until he began thinking of what led up to this. His rage now began to overtake the other thoughts, it simmered, and it was starting to boil over. He soon fell to his hands and knees.
“Damn it… Damn it! What gives them the right to do this, All because they said something she didn’t like?!”
He struck the ground once again. As he sniffled...Unbeknownst to him, however, walking behind him was yet another youth. One who looked to be around the same age. He was short, though stocky, bulging muscles covered with his brown skin. A cold gaze fell from his empty red orbs. As his wet green locks reached his back.
“Oi!”
The word caught the black-haired youth’s attention as his gaze returned to the new arrival. His expression, though formerly sad, was now replaced with a scowl. He was unamused with the man’s interruption.
“What is it?!”
He stepped forward.
“Woah there, don’t start yelling at me… Here to make a proposition.”
For some time, the boy was silent... But, he soon stood up as he turned his body away from his deceased family.
“Make it quick.”
The boy nodded, stepping forward.
“I saw what happened... My parents were the others in that woman’s manor. We weren’t the first, and I don’t think we’ll be the last.”
He squinted his eyes.
“What’s your point here?”
“I’m saying we come back and show those guys in the upper houses who really run this society!”
...Truth be told, that wasn’t something he’d thought of. He wanted to get that woman back, sure... But in the end, his initial plans stopped there. However, what he’d said had merit. He didn’t believe the basis for his ideas were correct. But, he didn’t think the solution was wrong either. If she and those like her wanted to go out and kill, on a whim, then why couldn’t they do the same to her and those like her? Though, even so, was he truly ready to take another life? A line many wouldn’t even think of crossing, and here he was, doing so this quickly? Even though he was not happy with the society he lived within, even before this point, this was a giant leap. He closed his eyes as he continued to debate with himself, his gaze falling upon the ground.
The two soon stood in silence once more... All the while, the other boy began to pace around as he grew impatient. At the least, until he opened his eyes, raising his head.
“I’ll do it… let’s get moving.”
“Good, but, before all that, I’m Rizian. What’s your name?”
He extended his hand out, Ardam followed suit, and the two shook hands.
“Texechau.”
At the age of 12, with the death of his parents, he left with four other men that had a similar past… Ardam grew his entourage and trained as time went on- many of those under him had the same goals of eventually destroying their respective states… They soon took on the name of the “Kaemerge.” They’d mostly remained like any other band of youths until 3 years later.
1615 BCE
The very same boy walked within the underground caverns beneath the Area’s mountains. His appearance had somewhat changed. He’d grown a foot taller, now about 5’10. His jawline sharpened as he grew, along with his shoulders growing broad as he continued his training, as his body grew stronger. Something he needed for the battles that followed. Those very same battles were also the reason he found himself in the caverns. They searched for copper ore to use for weaponry. For what felt like hours, they searched for any ore at all. What soldiers weren’t sleeping or patrolling were down within the many shafts, searching. As he walked, he heard a womanly voice speak from behind him.
“You guys sure we’ll find something here?”
He glanced back at the woman. She was fair-skinned, the top of her head just barely reaching his shoulder, her short green hair moving as she walked. The woman is known to them as Uparmiya. He looked forward as he spoke.
“I’d hope so. Otherwise, we just wasted our time pumping that info from-”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
The man soon stopped as he took note of something at the very end of the cavern, objects that almost looked crystalline.
He would discover an underground reservoir of Protomis. That day, his strength reached inhuman heights, as they found themselves in battle later than they, triggering an activation. He fought many with this newfound power and grew more and more confident with each victory as he continued to gain power for another 10 years. Before finally destroying the state he was from and declaring that he would give divine retribution upon humanity… it was only then that his name would be, Ardam. By the time he was 35, much of the earth's population had been killed, and civilizations razed out of existence, or drastically altered. With the Qun’Mi artifacts pushed underground or destroyed to the point of being unrecognizable. He eventually pushed his way through the world until Babylon had finally arrived on his warpath. And a colossal battle between the True Kaemerge and the Babylonians ensued… The most fierce being between Ardam and his inner circle and the warriors from Babylon, who came to be known as the Babylon Quartet, through their prowess shown in the war with the qun’mi in the years beforehand. But the most destructive of these, without a doubt, was between Tiyamura, the blade of Babylon, and the being known as Ardam. Who were possibly the strongest proto-humans to ever live.
1595 BCE
The gigantic form of Ardam floated over the grass-covered plains around Babylon. The two were wordless as black spheres rose from Ardam’s body. Tiyamura tightened his grip on his blade as Ardam yelled.
“Die, TIYAMURA!”
Soon, black rods, like those he’d use against his present opponents, flew forward. However, unlike them, they were much larger, and, rather than a few tens, they were in the hundreds. An endless swarm that barreled toward him. However, the man remained steadfast as he positioned his blade below him before he swung upward. As the force of the blade cleaved through the air, and, in addition, Ardam’s body itself… But the destruction did not stop there. In addition, ripping apart the earth under them. Leaving a broad and deep scar upon the landscape.
It was devastating to the surrounding area. In the end, Tiyamura chose to use his power, as well as that of his personal friend, Lakhmu. To seal Ardam away within a Dimensional Prison. As well as a non-corporeal body- for when he would eventually escape.
As TIyamura finished giving him the gist, he stood there, shaking his head at the explanation.
“So that’s it? That was his reason for spurring all this conflict? Tch… That’s beside the point. If you figure out something, tell me, but I believe this battle takes priority right now…”
Tiyamura nodded.
“If that’s the case… I’m going to distribute what little protomis I have left to you all. If you want to win, you’ll need it.”
Arctaius soon stepped out, his eyes falling upon the battle in front of him. The site was, to say the least, a surprising one. The many warships that streaked across the sky fired every weapon they had at Ardam, Railguns, Missiles, and Sigma Particle beams. Fighters and HAUs flew past the ships, firing their weapons as well. However, their attacks were only met with a smirk. Soon, the black rods flew out once again, piercing the ships, and poking holes in their armor. The HAUs and fighters were not any luckier. The hulking vessels soon began to lose altitude, crashing into each other as they hit the ground. The counterattack was seemingly useless, having no effect on the titan. At the least, until another came in. Arctaius threw himself forward, with a yellow light flowing around him once again as he rushed to the being’s face. However, his eyes dashed as he took notice, but it was much too late. His fist smashed into Ardam’s eye. Which burst as he made an impact. He soon swiped the youth away as he yelled in his rage...
“Damn you, Mortal!!!”
He was left with no reprieve. As another fighter charged in, Zhao, wielding his dao, soon arrived at his face as well, cutting through the second eye.
“What?! Where did they get this p-”
However, his thoughts were soon cut off as, rushing to him, was yet another tide. Alarick, with his hand surrounded in a black glow.
“Void Blade- Cutting Surge!!!”
Zhao soon dived out of the way… While Ardam attempted to narrow down his location… Though, without his eyes, there was not much he could do. Alarick began to swing his hand, aimed at Ardam’s neck, and, as he passed by, His opponent’s head was removed. The blonde bounded away as Hyperion came forward, slashing at his shoulder. Something that would leave a dent in his body. Valerie followed suit, with spheres of light appearing behind her. As she snapped, the bursts of energy that burst forward soon punched holes all over his body…
“Impossible! My power is divine!!!!” The being shouted in disbelief.
Regardless of the words, the damage was to be enough, too much for the being to handle. The titan soon fell to his knees, kicking up dust with his size… For a few moments, he stayed there, in that position. Before he fell facedown... The exhausted fighters landed near one another as they began huffing.
Part B
Jirou ran his hand through his hair as he sat on the ground, at first, huffing, unable to speak. Though, after some moments, he’d finally managed.
“Finally, that whole fiasco is over…”
Alarick soon sat beside him, leaning onto a piece of debris that lay behind him.
“Perhaps… but we must stay on guard. He gave all of us a challenge.
Elsewhere, within the Shima ward, the group sat in silence. Asami tapped the desk as she waited to see anything at all, something to at least confirm he was still alive, even if he wasn’t winning. Though through the interference, An image came up, the titan they’d fought was facedown and unmoving. Asami perked up at this. And so did his friends. Akashi smirked.
“Did… did they do it?”
Shinto pushed his glasses up as a smile made its way onto his face.
“It would seem so.”
Yudei breathed a sigh of relief as he began to lean on the wall behind them.
“Phew. That was looking bad.”
Asami soon cracked a slight yet, somewhat noticeable smile.
“At the least… it’s over now.”
Elsewhere, North Shima High’s Delinquent stood in the same alley they’d usually found themselves in. They were all centered around a well-known Auburn-haired man, Tadashi.
“Huh, I knew Corde was a pretty tough guy. I didn’t know he was THIS tough, though.”
Kenzo stepped forward
“Guess we can say one thing… Nobody’s gonna be messing with us anymore.”
As the conversations continued elsewhere, so did they in Tsugashuan. Liang sheathed his Jian as he looked around at the devastated city around them.
“It looks like we cleaned up house.”
Miyamoto walked to Kazimir, leaning on him.
“That could’ve ended badly… or, rather. much worse.” Miyamoto responded.
“It’s... nothing to worry about- we’re still alive, aren’t we.”
Arctaius fell back as he huffed, maybe even heavier than those around him.
“With this… Vengeance is finally ours. Now the only question is what to do afterward.”
Valerie began walking toward her old friend, a smile on her face.
“I suppose, but-”
She paused as her demeanor seemingly changed, her eyes widening as if they were saucers.
“Wait!” Begin OST- Yu Yu Hakusho, Time Limit
One by One, the same happened to the others, as a strange feeling began to run down their spines. All in all, The last heir to Von Zaisen only came up with one response.
“What the hell?!”
Zhao stood up.
“You all feel that too?”
“Someone’s Protomis spiked… And it’s too similar to Ardam’s to be a coincidence.” Liang commented.
Bijan frowned as his glance went back to the body that lay in front of them.
“I don’t like this…”
Soon, the ground under them began to tremor once again as the remaining buildings and the farther edges of the city began to sink into the ground. Kazimir’s gaze began to move around as he observed the effects.
“You’ve got to be kidding me right now… the chills I’m feeling down my spine.”
Just beyond the epicenter, Watanabe and Sokol glanced at one another before gazing back at the center. Though they didn’t say anything, it was clear that both of them noticed. Elsewhere, Millions of miles away, there lie several Asteroids traveling in a cluster. In the center of them is one of the solar system’s largest, formerly known as 4-Vesta, now named by its inhabitants as Risilin. An older man sat within his home, stroking the grayed strands of his beard.
“This Protomis I’m feeling… the fact that I can sense it from up here… Can those kids really handle this?”
Elsewhere, in a location unknown to most of the world, Emperor Shin sat within a bunker far underground. Observing the situation, along with his court and the Imperial Guard. His gaze fell upon one of the soldiers, who seemed to be panicked, though nobody could see his face.
“Just how much power does he have… my instincts are screaming at me to escape… even though he’s that far away.”
Though he said nothing, this certainly caught his attention.
Back in the Hoshi Household, the room was no longer shaken by light tremors. Now, the house and those within seemed to shake. Within the news aircraft over Tsugashuan, the situation was no different. However, the newscaster now yelled in an attempt to compete with the sound of the falling rock.
“The earlier tremors are now intensifying!! Higher magnitude earthquakes are being reported worldwide!”
Across the planet, buildings began to fall, unable to withstand the force of the quaking below their foundations. Though, as the world seemed to shake, Arctaius’ friends were much more worried about the tItan himself.
Yudei stood up straight as he rushed to Asamis’ side in an attempt to get a closer look.
“He, he’s still alive?!”
Akashi glanced over at Yudei.
“I guess I have to be the one to ask this… are we screwed?!”
However, they soon lost sight of the battle as a flash of light soon filled the camera, removing what came afterward from their view. The light’s origin was the titan’s carcass… Or at the least, his apparent one. The speed of the cracking began to increase as strong winds blew outward, which they all struggled to stand against… The booming voice of their opponent soon filled their ears once again.
“I had you fooled there, now Didn’t I… But I’ll give you this much, you’ve managed to make me use something which I have not used since my battle with that Babylonian….My true strength.”
A sphere of light soon spread outward, blinding the ones who bore witness, whether directly or watching through the remaining buildings... Their expressions were a far cry from what would be expected from somebody who met the one they called their god… Fear. The light receded to the carcass as, splitting off, was a pitch-black humanoid mass. Though somewhat taller than any of those there, he was a far cry from his previous size. Feathered wings soon sprouted from his back, unlike the rest of his body, white in color. Darkened horns from the head followed. With not two but three eyes appearing afterward, one on his forehead.
“Let’s see how you will fare now, mortals…”
Jirou stood up.
“looks like I was wrong- we aren’t out of the woods yet…”
Alarick cracked his knuckles as he bent his knees.
“This is bad… we barely beat him before, and now he’s not even comparable to his first form…”
Arctaius cracked his neck.
“We can’t let this much shake us. We need to keep fighting for as long as possible… there’ll be a lot more than our lives at stake.”
Zhao tightened his grip on his blade.
“Agreed”
Alarick straightened his fingers as a black glow surrounded his hand once again, taking the shape of a blade.
“It would be cowardly to try to escape now…”
Miyamoto tightened her fists.
“Right then, Let’s end this….”
Jirou extended his arms as a golden aura swarmed around Arctaius, a red light around Rhuskov, as a blue light that soon morphed into the head of a dragon came to surround Liang, as vines began to extend behind Bijan. And, just like that, they’d shown it. Even with the power their opponent commanded, they wouldn’t run...After all, they didn’t come all this way for no reason.
To Be Continued