Tides Of Protomis CXXIX

Preparations For Battle

The machinations of different wills had begun to change the situation in both worlds. A betrayal within the ranks of Maleggan’s empire, and the subsequent ascension of a new general, and the changes that brought took place there, But as well, were the actions taken in the other realm, squabbling nation-states forced to cooperate, even if somewhat. After all, the demonic invasion was still a prominent problem. To that effect, two of The Yamato Kingdom’s secret weapons were in the peaks that lined Hokkaido. A white blur moved across the rocky soil, cleaving through all that was in its path.Screams, lines of blood, and the subsequent spreading of red particles in the air. A mass of demons, who’d just found themselves exiting their realm for another attack, found that their operation wouldn't be as easy as they first thought. The invading demons observed this with fearful expressions. They’d met this level of opponent, while having just entered Mvchk at that?

“Dammit! They didn’t tell us proto-humans of this level would be in this area!” A large brown-furred Mashavet shouted. He was the commander of this force, and yet even he found that he likely wouldn’t be able to do anything against the opponent. His suspicions were confirmed by what came next, a Human who almost seemed to equal him in height landed in front of him, plunging a rapier into his body time and time again, leaving the Bear-like demon to take on a swiss-cheese like appearance, before his body began to break down, leaving naught but red particles which were carried away in the winds.

Before long, the last remaining troops shared the same fate, the direct result of a draconic creature forged of stone descending upon them, and crushing them underneath, Before raising its head to the sky, and letting out a booming war cry. To the two, it seemed the situation was handled. As such, the creature’s animator, an olive skinned man, leaped off of his back, landing next to his comrade… The two standing here wouldn’t exactly be liked by most, to no surprise. One once worked as an intelligence officer for the Kaemerge, Ittur-sul Caen. And the other, Sokol Naumov, needed no introduction. The giant of a man that was the former Tsar of the second Russian Empire, who started the Third World War. Though he initially felt no will to restore the imperial throne, it was something he did nonetheless, with regrets, given that he fought against the organization who convinced him to get into politics once more, and helped him win his war.

The very same officer at his side was part of…

“What do you make of this, Naumov? These don’t seem to be on the same level as the one Arctaius or any of his allies battled.” Ittur-sul questioned. The man placed his hand on his chin, stroking his beard, as he considered possible answers to the question.

“Perhaps… They are tiring out.” Such a thing certainly was possible. After all, even if they weren’t human, they certainly had their own politics and logistics to worry about. If anyone were to know about such subjects, it would be Sokol Naumov regardless. Ittur-sul strided over to a nearby rock, taking a seat. Looking up to the sky as his mind drifted to other subjects. Chief being, how the one he’d mentioned was doing in the demon realm. The boy hated him, that much he knew, and could he in any capacity ask him to change his outlook? He certainly didn't think so. But perhaps their relationship would be able to change with time.

Opening 6 - Doronko Dobby- Nico Touches The Walls

The Holy Order’s Paris headquarters were bustling with activity. A large number of not only the high ranking slayers, but civilian Collaborators, and the many lower level troops the order now made use of. Apparently, the decision made at that USN meeting had helped out quite a bit in these current proceedings. As many of those who’d been attacked by demons were now being tested for traces of the other realm’s energy within them. Some of them had even managed to purify this force, and become candidates to join their ranks. In no small part due to the abilities. After all, there was a certain undertaking that many were prepared for the beginning of. The holy order’s supreme council, with the obvious exception of Gilga, sat gathered in the building’s summit.

The first to speak was Fransisco Delgado.

“Our forces have made a large amount of progress in the demon realm… At current, incursion Commander Jurugen Volker has informed us that they’ve become closer to discovering the Enemy’s capitol. At which time, we will be able to strike them there…” Fransisco responded. While some were impressed by the results of this, it was clear by the expressions on the face of some of those watching, that this was not the case for them. One of those to step forward was a woman who seemed to be in her 30s, with a head of wavy sea-green hair, which reached her upper back.

“You say that, but haven’t you already had three of their generals killed, both by your forces and the proto-humans on the other side? I’d like to know just when my Ayaka is getting back, and If she’ll even come back alive…”. Goda Kyoko, the wife of the one known as Goda Ayaka, was clearly not alone in this. Even the mother of Jurugen Volker, who’d dismissed the existence of demons as a simple fantasy, even eyed the members of the council, with an expression unreadable. Had the uninterested disposition she gave her son disappeared?

As mummers began to spread through the room, Farid decided it was time to stop this before the calm dissent took a turn from the rest.

“We understand your concerns. But do remember, that your loved ones who have been sent to participate in the counter-invasion were selected for a reason, they are strong… And given the reports, even the weakest of the troops have grown stronger. And please, do remember, while attacks have decreased with the chaos the generals' death has caused, the attacks are certainly not over.” Farid answered.

“Yes… Need we mention Stazow and Veclas, to our east, who fell due to their lack of strong enough proto-humans, and the presence of our force’s, something we certainly regret…” The mention of those states gave everyone pause. To go from Russian Vassal states, who lacked strong militaries of their own, only enjoying their renewed independence for four years, before a mass of demons descended upon their states. At this point, nobody knew the details of just what was happening there. But even the most conservative estimates placed them at losing 30% of their respective populations. Recovering from that would by no means be easy, and if the situation was worse…

“That much said… In order to make sure this battle goes smoothly, and that all of our troops come back, we will be sending Lumeris, and Lumeris-Magnus slayers to the other realm, ourselves Included.” Lyle commented, something which made the eyes of all of those within widen. The supreme council in combat? The first to discover demons, the first to use holy energy?! They hadn’t been seen fighting at full strength in a number of years… One of the slayers in the room stood from his seat, stepping toward the front of the room.

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“But my lords, what about yourselves, what if-”

The head of the holy order put his hand up, silencing the man.

“The reason this organization was forged was to combat demonic incursions… And we must do our part.” Lyle answered. However, even with this, there seemed to be more than a few protests from those within. What effect would their own leaders leaving have, what would happen if they were to die there, would they even be able to select a new council, would a squabble and schism emerge over such a choice? Even if they were all here for the same purpose, it wasn’t as if they all had the same background and philosophy. Some of them may have even been enemies otherwise. But regardless, it seemed as if the Head of the holy order was done discussing the matter. He lifted himself from his seat, speaking once more.

“This meeting is adjourned. I will send the specific orders to those who will be selected to join the incursion force by tomorrow at the latest, this is of the most importance to our survival.” It did not take long for the rest of the council to join him in his exit. Ignoring the numerous questions thrown at them, as he did… Lyle lamented this, in some way, but for the time being, he needed to focus, he needed to make sure this went right, that they reached victory. Eventually, Fransisco stepped forward, placing a hand on his old friend’s shoulder.

“As I see it, it was a hard choice, but one we had to make. Who knew if they were actually gonna listen to us… If it was my son there, I would’ve felt such anxiety as well.” As Fransisco spoke, Farid nodded in agreement.

“Mm… Have you decided if you’re going to let him enlist in the order, yet?” Farid questioned. The man looked over his shoulders.

“Possibly, I will. But that will be AFTER we’ve contained the higher level demons, and taken care of this “Empire”. I have no intention of risking his life at this point… And even if I had, Antonietta would not let that take place. That much aside, has Gilga responded yet?” With the query raised, Fransisco put his gaze back onto Lyle.

“Yes. All things considered, the Violet Devil has been more a help than I expected her to be to us… Perhaps a personal apology from us to her is in order once this is over. They’ve been training as much as they can in preparation for the battles to come. I’ve also made sure they knew we’ve almost figured out just where the capital is during our patrols… Zhao lei has apparently been roughly mapping the area around them, and that has helped us determine their relative location. And send them in the right direction…” So that was the case. There was certainly some hostility between Volker, and the one known as the Agium the last time they were in contact with each other, not to mention how the Violet Devil may have felt under the surface. Hopefully, such things did not come to affect their chances negatively.

…

Asami Hoshi had begun to return to her normal daily routine, as much as she could have, at least. To no surprise, her father and mother alike had been worried for her safety. The two of them were in tears, fearing for the worst when she made her way back to her room, the same could be said for her sister, who caught the tail end of what happened to the woman, how she was dragged into the crimson rip that signified the appearance of a demon. As she grabbed her bag, and attempted to leave, she almost found herself trying to pry her younger sibling off of her. Though there was clearly some annoyance in her expression, she certainly understood why she did. In some way, she was even reminded of her own clinginess when it came to the lateHisashi, her oldest sibling, who was always a bit rough around the edges, before he was drafted into Yamato’s army. She supposed she couldn’t fault the girl for feeling such things. She began to pat her head, as she opened the door.

“Calm down, Kotone, I’ll be fine, I guarantee it…” She made her way out of the door, closing it behind her, only giving another wave to Kotone. Now, there was just making it to the train station.

“Was I right in telling her I guarantee it? Some may believe so, but… If Taius wins his battles in that realm, we won’t have to worry about them anymore… No, Not if… When.” The line of thought ended shortly, in favor of thinking about what she’d do later. The commute from her home to the school went normally enough. Though some of those who were captured as well seemed absent on the walkways, or perhaps, they were just out of sight. But as she walked, it was made clear that her family were not the only ones who learned of this course of events. As she into North Shima High’s courtyard, the stares and murmurs did not go unknown to her. The prospect of asking if she was unharmed certainly did pop up in the head of some of those there, but was it truly appropriate to do so, was the question.

Apparently, that was not the case for one Sakai Megumi, who appeared in the corner of her eye, and wrapped the woman in a hug, which certainly caught her by surprise… For some time, the two stood there, before her old friend removed her arms, and stepped back.

“There you are… I feared the worst happened to you.” Megumi explained.

“Yeah… Sorry for making you worry. Luckily, everyone on the other side worked hard to make sure we came back safely. How about we try to forget about this demon business, and go to the movies or something. Me, You, Yudei, Shinto, Akashi, and Shizuko.” She offered. Megumi nodded.

“I’m free… It would be great if everyone else was too.” That much was enough from her. The others didn't seem to be here, not just yet. But Asami was sure it wouldn’t take long for them to be filing in. Shinto’s father was always especially protective of him, that much even she knew. Hopefully he wasn’t attaching some sort of guard force to the boy, as he never was one to enjoy such things happening. But her mind soon drifted off once more, as she entered the school’s doors. What if the demon had decided to attack the area around her? Would her dear younger sister still be with them? And if everyone else hadn’t gotten there quickly enough to save them, would that have been the end?

“I can’t stay as I am now, I need to find a way”

Of course, they were not the only ones affected by the happenings of the invasion. As Hashimoto Ren sat in his office, patiently awaiting his son’s return. While in the Cui Federation, the very same happened with Bijan, and Cuifen. Though the former was, of course, separated by a layer of glass to prevent infection, the two were in full view of each other, allowing the woman to see Bijan dancing to the quick melody of a song played over his holo-phone.

“I’m telling you, Cuifen, Grace Generation may become historical when it comes to Idol Music, their style is unique.” Bijan stated.

“Perhaps… But I thought you were more of an S-Grace fan, Liang noted how much you liked to play it.” She responded.

“Musical tastes change, what can I say?” He responded. The woman continued to watch him, with a smile eventually crawling onto her face.

“At least my brother has some good people around him…”. At this point in time, her brother was always in his apartment, nose deep into books, and papers. Trying to come up with some theoretical idea for a cure. While she was certainly not without her own issues, it went without saying that she worried for him, at times. How was he doing in his battle against the demons, for example… At the least, aside from a few weaker opponents, and the one apparently here to capture her, that was dispatched quickly, there was little problem-

As that thought came to her head, a resounding boom came from outside, as the window was overtaken by an orange light… Causing the heads of both to snap in that direction. What they saw was not the bustling city that they expected, but a crater which now surrounded a tower of smog… The question of what could have caused this came to their head, until they took note of something, a gigantic centipede like creature, with crimson Chitin. Individual legs the size of a man, and a body which seemed to stretch on for miles.

“... A demon, now?” Cuifen questioned.

つづく

To Be Continued

Ending 12 - Time After Time- Earth