Tides Of Protomis XL(40)- The Head Of The Serpent- Yoshio Honda!!!
Though Rentei was quite a ways from Tokyo, it was nothing that Arctaius could not handle… Though, even if it had been, he would have kept going either way. Giving his enemies the time to organize and send an attack his way was something he could not allow to happen. As it normally would before battle, his mind rushed through tactics and strategies to use during battle, possible considerations he’d have to make.
“I need to get in… and get out, I don’t know how strong the fighters there are- but I suppose I'll find out once I get into detection range… A long-range shot onto the building should take care of their non Proto-human leaders, but that doesn’t apply to any others they might have.”
He trailed off, as the landscape under him gradually changed. Rather than the cityscapes of Tokyo, he now flew over one of Yamato’s many forests. The serene verdant wildlands were far cry from the war zones across the country. Or, at the least, that WAS the case. Unbeknownst to Arctaius, he was being observed, on the branches of the trees below, Colonel Schrotter and the Roten Daemon stood, looking up at the youth through the foliage. Schrotter followed him with his eyes, before he turned his gaze to his squad members.
“Roten Daemon… Attack him all at once- do not attack one by one. You WILL be killed if you do so.”
Wordlessly, the men jumped off of the trees and imminently flew at their opponent. Arctaius promptly stopped, looking over his shoulder at the approaching opponents.
“Enemies, Familiar looking ones… The roten Daemon. You may have been an issue for me during the war, but it is not the same now.”
Bolts began to coil around Arctaius as he clenched his fists. Moreso as he opened his right hand, raising his palm above his head as she shouted out.
“Shocking Cannon!!!”
Once again, the Arcs of electricity flew out of him, spreading out around him. Before they were even able to react, three of the six were hit. The force of the arcs reducing them to a fine pink mist. Ending their role in the battle almost instantly. Even so, the surviving three charged at him, apparently, undeterred by the death of their allies… They’d already destroyed their reputation from their loss against him all those years ago. Made worse by the subsequent failures. They could not return, not without results. With this in mind, they activated their abilities. The leftmost one’s arm grew longer, and thicker than the rest of his body, gray scales, replacing skin, and three sharp digits appearing at the very end. The one in the middle being cloaked in a green light that moved around him like a flame. With the one on the left soon changing his body as a whole. Skin converted to what looked like cast Iron, Arctaius looked unimpressed by this display.
“Out of the way!!!!” He yelled.
Without any more words, the bolts flowed around him again. Something that made them disperse, breaking their formation, before they began closing in on him from three different angles... Before he knew it, he appeared behind the clawed man, smashing his heel into his neck, and breaking it on impact. The other two looked at this with clenched fists, and tensed muscles... The Agium was a name they knew well, and the danger he could pose was made clear, especially now. The two members glanced at one another, before they looked back at their opponent.
“We can’t lose, keep going forward!”
“Right!”
As Schrotter watched most of his men die in not even a minute, he knew one thing, he wouldn’t let this continue.
“You don’t stand a chance- cease this foolishness!!” He yelled
However, they simply Ignored their words, charging at the man regardless. The armored man placed his hands on a greatsword at his side, drawing it, and slashing at Arctaius. He weaved around the armored man’s strike, as he shoved his fist through the man’s chest, demolishing the armor in his fist’s path. Before coming out of the other side of his torso, stained in his blood. He removed his fist. And the body began its swift descent to the ground below... Now, that left the final surviving teammate. Who growled in his rage, as the green light around him intensified.
He began a last ditch attempt at an attack, charging at his old adversary…
“I’ll end you, AGIUM!! DI-”
His words were quickly cut off, as he took note of a hand on his chin,and at the top of his head alike… He glanced over his shoulder, to see Arctaius standing right there… And with a quick fist, a loud crack echoed through the area, as the man’s neck shattered, with what looked to be a casual gesture. Now, the youth let go of the final member, letting him fall to the ground next to his teammate... He looked down at the bodies for some moments, before resuming his previous trip. Paying Schrotter no mind.
“Dammit…. He’s gotten even stronger- We weren't prepared… Not at all.”
Now, his watchful gaze moved around the area, looking for any other enemies sent his way…. Though, at that point, it looked to be all-clear… That was until he felt something, a pressure, a feeling run through his body. It was then that he stopped, constantly pivoting to keep himself ready for any attack.
“Another Proto-human is in the area… They’re a cut above those four as well… Not on the level of Minoru ito. But it looks to me like I'll need to proceed with Caution. Either way, that’s probably where the Kaemerge base is.. Let’s m-”
Before he knew it, however, out of thin air, The General of the Japan Branch, Yoshio Honda himself, appeared to his left. He barely registered the man’s appearance before a foot smashed into his side, the force of which shook his frame. Arctaius looked upon this in surprise.
“T- This power!”
Apparently, his opponent was not finished yet, Driving his fist into the Youth’s chin, with an uppercut. Arctaius’ head was forced up, his gaze facing the sky. Though he quickly returned his gaze forward. Only to be hit by a palm strike onto his stomach, sending him barreling away. He stopped himself mid-air, Yoshio did not end his assault there, Flying to pursue his opponent, and reeling his fist back. As Arctaius took notice of this, he put both of his arms up in front of him, not willing to get hit by another direct punch. And, as the general’s fists made contact, his guard stayed solid, with the resulting force flattening the area behind Arctaius… No sooner did Arctaius Draw back, attempting to jab his fist into Yoshio’s ribs. But, the man intercepted his attack, one hand grasping his fist, the other going toward his chest. Thankfully, Arctaius was quick enough to maneuver his body mid-air, just avoiding getting hit by the attack.
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“I’ve seen this style only once before... Jinsoku Dokuhebi(Swift Viper). Last I checked there were no users of that style left… This could be an issue”
Part B
The two had not moved from their previous spots. Arctaius’ expression remained the same. BUt it was not too long after that a smirk found its way onto Yoshio’s face. Arctaius looked him up and down, taking note of the adornments on the general as he did so.
“With that uniform of yours… I’d assume that you were the general that I’ve heard about.”
“Correct-- General Honda Yoshio, Kaemerge Yamato Branch…”
Sparks began to radiate around Arctaius once more.
“Then you’re the one I’m here for. Prepare yourself, I plan to end you here- along with everyone else in this force... ”
“That’s assuming you’re strong enough to achieve that goal...Which I doubt.” Yoshii responded.
“We’ll just have to see about that then…”
As he finished, Arctaius disappeared from Yoshio’s sight, leaving only scattered sparks in his place. however, the general looked undisturbed by this fact, his grin staying planted on his face. His gaze began to move around as he searched for the proto-human.
“That won’t work on me... I can still sense you…”
Yoshio’s eyes stopped as he finally saw it… A trail of electricity. Though it would have been invisible to most of his subordinates… He was not them. He took note of the cluster of buildings around Arctaius, as well as the gravel roads that ran between them. A small town, it looked like. It seemed they’d already left. Though he questioned where they might have run, it was none of his concern. Yoshio made his decision, nodding, as he disappeared from his spot. Arctaius rematerialized in the town’s center, between some apartment buildings, about 10 stories at the most. However, as he did so, he took note of something crashing through the wall… And then, he saw him. Honda Yoshio appeared in front of him, seemingly, coming out of the holographic desktop that lay in the abandoned home. Arctaius’ eyes widened as he took notice.
“WHAT?!”
Yoshio soon thrust his fist into Arctaius' stomach, sending his head lurching forward. Before he reeled back his right fist, giving the boy an uppercut. Arctaius would soon begin his counter-attack, maneuvering around his opponent, he gave him a kick to the neck. It was a short-lived victory, given that he was unaffected by the strike. He soon smashed his elbow into Arctaius’ torso, before he sent him crashing onto the ground with an axe kick. A large cloud of dust was made as soon as he made contact, smashing through the pavement and the ground underneath. Much of the city around them flattened by the outburst of force that followed. Arctaius quickly lifted himself up, flying back toward the general, throwing out a flurry of punches. But, even so, he found that his opponent weaved around his strikes. Before, the general's swift hand shot out, grasping not just one, but two of Arctaius’ fists before launching a knee into his stomach. Something that made his eyes widen... But he pushed past the surprise, returning to his standard expression, before he smashed his forehead into Yoshio’s, something that somewhat worked, given that he released his grip. Before, he began to back away, ready to prepare another attack… But, he soon found that the man appeared beside him once more, coming out of a building to his left, and smashing a fist into his cheek! The youth began to barrel away, before he stopped himself mid-air.
“Dammit, How did he get there- it was as if he knew where I was going… There’s gotta be some explanation for his Abilities…When I was flying, it was as if he manifested out of nowhere, much faster than I would have sensed. Meaning… He’s either far faster, or he’s using something else to move around.”
Soon, Honda appeared in front of him once more, launching him into the ground with a fist to his stomach… And as he made contact with the ground, it began to come to him, a theory…
“It seemed like he jumped from location to location instantly, that wasn’t speed. This means he was likely using electronics to move around. This can’t end well for me. If i’m correct, they put those new Subspace Relay Beacons around here… If my theory is right, Meaning, there’s no way for me to catch up to him... That’s direct FTL travel for him… But their range is limited. I need to draw him to a more secluded area, or shut them down myself.”
Arctaius rebounded off of the ground, beginning a quick dash away from the city. Yoshio watched as this took place.
“Trying to run away, Eh…” He trailed off, as he began to fly after him, unrelenting in his pursuit of his opponent.
“Well too bad, You aren’t going anywhere, Heretic!”
Arctaius’ eyes darted around the area, as he flew over the forests of Yamato once more. With the numerous mountains typical to the island nation strewn around him. On the base of one of many, he saw it, a tall tower, the bottom half seemingly constructed of concrete. With a steel frame extending from it. Across it were numerous small rods, and instruments. Arctaius’ palm shot out as he took note of it.
“There!!”
Arcs shot from his palm, crossing the meters between himself and the structure in seconds, destroying it upon impact. Yoshio, apparently not taking notice, attempted to flash forward once more. But soon found that something was wrong… He did not go anywhere, rather, he continued flying forward.. At what looked to be a reduced speed. Before he knew it, a left hook was smashed into cheek, courtesy of Arctaius. The smirk on Yoshio’s face disappeared as he glanced onto his face, taking note of the small mark left over...
“He must’ve figured me out… No matter- he won’t stand a chance with what I have planned.”
Arctaius soon began his assault on Yoshio, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks alike. However, Yoshio soon began to dodge and block his attempts at strikes. This was, until, Arctaius dispersed into electricity once again, appearing behind the man, and throwing an elbow at his back. And, though he moved a bit, ultimately, it had little effect.
“You’ll have to do better than that!!!”
Yoshio pivoted his body, as he bent his legs, giving Arctaius a roundhouse kick. But the Youth was quick to intercept his strike with his arm, Before sending an uppercut into his chin, disorienting the General. Long enough for him to send a knee into the man’s stomach. Followed by a left, and a right hook. The second of which, sent him flying away... However, this time, his opponent did not stop himself. He had a plan, and he would use this to his advantage. He continued flying toward the mountains behind them. On the peak of the very same mountain, there sat a gigantic gun, with two barrels barely visible. Both of which were about 250 meters long.
Behind the barrels, where a large circular control room. The mark of Yamato’s Heavy Anti Ship Artillery Batteries. Within the gun control room, three men sat, wearing the standard camouflage non-combat uniform for Yamato’s army. sat in silence. After all, nothing had come into range for some time now. Hell, they were even debating just going back to what they’d done before. Though, they decided against it. Nobody wanted to deal with the brass, after all. And so, their boredom continued, until they took note of something in the distance. What seemed to be two proto-humans fighting in the distance.
The largest of the three, a black-haired man with a scarred face, the name “Morikawa '' stitched into his uniform. Removed the cigarette from his mouth.
“More Proto-human fights, huh… Which one do you think is on our side?” Morikawa questioned, glancing at his comrades.
The second, the name Nakada stitched into his, glanced at Morikawa.
“How do you know they’re on anybody's side…?”
“Probably because we're in the middle of a war…” Morikawa responded.
Nakada paused, before shrugging his shoulders, apparently conceding.
The third pointed at Arctaius.
“Likely that one… I’ve heard that the Agium entered the area- and his powers do match up…”
Nakada glanced at the third.
“You Kidding me? That could be any-”
Their conversation was cut short, as Yoshio came crashing through the windows with such force that the two barrels were destroyed, and the bunker along with it. Arctaius would soon begin dashing toward the cannon, his laser focus placed on the general.
“Die, Honda Yoshio!”
A smirk returned to Yoshio’s face.
“Die? No, I should be telling you that…”
Soon, a blue light flashed around Yoshio, and soon, the light turned into a torrent, swirling around the General. It was then that his smirk turned into a grin. Arctaius stopped in his tracks, his advance ceasing. It was not the expression on the man’s face that was the reason. Rather it was the feeling he felt going along his spine. In the many cities surrounding, wide blackouts began to take place, Holo-phone displays went down, as calls were cut and tv displays went dark. Soon the confusion among the Yamato began to grow even more. The reveal of this group, the Kaemerge, and now everything going down instantly? As far as they knew, there weren't any Sigma particles being released, so what was happening here?
“What? How did he get so strong within that amount of time… Was he hiding something?”
Yoshio began to levitate, elevating himself until he reached Arctaius’ level. All the while, his same confident, uncaring demeanor stayed.
“I’d tell you to be prepared… But that’d be wasted on a weakling such as yourself- if you couldn't beat me before... You sure as hell can’t do so now…”
“While I don't exactly want to do so here… I will if I have to- I may have to use that technique… I have to make sure it hits. I can’t afford to die… Not here.”
To Be Continued