The tides and their allies, and the holy order alike, kept their attention upon the demon that floated above them. The unease was notable in the expressions of those who could sense his power. While the other proto-humans glanced around, taking note of this as well, they said nothing about it. The being’s gaze moved between them all, before a deepened voice reverberated through the street.

“You humans are a pitiful race… You develop techniques to strike us down, and the wielders of them are this weak? You’ll find that your preparations up to now have been a pointless endeavor.. I am general Zeta, the strongest of Maleggan’s generals, and the one who will end your lives.”

Arctaius placed his hand on his chin.

“Mallegan’s Generals? Is it some kind of government?” He questioned, glancing at Miyamoto.

“I’m not sure, I haven't heard of them before… I’ll have to ask Hyperion about it.” She responded.

Beside her, the monk tightened his grip on his dao, before he began to run through attack strategies in his head. Though he didn’t know anything about the opponent, as of right now, he had to base his thoughts on assumptions. It wasn’t ideal, but he’d have to do it nonetheless.

“Well, if what he just said is anything to go by, I'd say that we should worry about fighting him first.”

As Zhao spoke, Kazimir gestured toward the slayers.

“While that’s true, what about them?”

With this, they turned their attention to the Slayers, who seemed to have caught wind of their conversation. Something that was followed by a discussion of their own. After a few moments, they went silent, before placing their gazes onto Zeta once more, something that the tides and their allies did as well. Arctaius decided to take the initiative, speaking.

“Listen up, This does not make us allies, but if this one is as strong as you all have sensed he is, think of this as a truce…”

Volker nodded.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,as they say… Fine then, but make no mistake, we will return to our battles after this is said and done.”

“Fine with me…”

With this, all of the humans there turn their attention toward the demon… But even with the disadvantage he seemingly had, his expression hadn’t changed, nor did his body language.

“Clinging to one another when you know death is near. I’d expect that from your species… Your desperation will not lead to your survival.”

IN response to his bluster, there were no words. Three of the Lumeris class slayers went forward, ahead of their troops. Farid opened his left hand, and, within it, a Scimitar appeared, as a blue glow grew to cloak his body. Beside him, a waraxe, longer than her body, appeared in Ixitil’s palm, as she leaned it on her shoulder. The last of the three, Andris, balled his fists, as a warhammer appeared between his palm and fingers.

Soon after, Farid, Ixtil, and Andris alike leaped forward, rapidly closing the difference between them. As they reached his range, they began their attacks, rapidly flashing around his body, hitting, and cutting all along it… Or, at the least, that should have been what happened. Though they hit, they found that their strikes did nothing to him. Eventually, the three jumped back as they took

note.

“Not even a scratch?!”

As Andris yelled in surprise, Ixtil rushed forward, tightening her grip around her wareaxe.

“We can’t leave this thing alive, We’ll just have to push harder!” She yelled, preparing to swing her axe once more... But, before they knew it, Zeta closed and opened his eyes once more, and by that point, it was over. Soon enough, their bodies exploded into a red mist, leaving nothing behind, aside from the few bones that fell to the ground. Volker’s eyes widened in apparent surprise, with the same happening to the slayers. Confused chattering followed afterward. To them, it didn’t make any sense, how did they kill some of the highest class soldiers in their organization that quickly?!

“What’s going on here?!” One yelled.

“How are we gonna survive this?” Another questioned under his breath.

Their question was soon answered, as Zeta’s attention flew to the 20 slayers, before, he flicked his wrist. Just like that, they were all reduced to a red cloud... Volker’s gaze flew around, at what remained of his contemporaries, and then… What remained of his subordinates. A feeling of rage began to bubble within him, as he focused his gaze on the demon once more.

“I’ve already lost more than enough to beasts like you… I won’t let you go any further!” As he tightened his grip on his weapon, the proto-humans prepared to begin their assault. Alarick straightened his fingers, as a black glow began to extend from his wrist, encompassing the hand, and forming a blade. Before, he flashed forward, appearing in front of Zeta.

“Void Blade- Cutting Surge!”

Alarick began to take rapid strikes, swiping, returning, and starting another in mere fractions of a second. However, he had no luck in his attempt at an attack, as Zeta weaved around the swipes with very little effort. Something that put a look of surprise on Alarick’s face, as he looked down at the being’s undamaged body. Before, Zeta launched a kick into his side, sending him flying away. No sooner did Miyamoto rush into the fray, changing her angle, and approaching her directly from behind. WIth a tachi appearing in her hand once, a favorite technique of hers. She attempted to jab the sharpened end into his back, but, before could even recognize it, he had reversed the situation, showing up behind her, before planting his foot into her back, sending her crashing into the ground.

Arctaius tsked as he leaped forward, throwing a flurry of punches at Zeta. However, he found that his attack was ineffective, As Zeta’s palms moved into his fists’ path, stopping the punches long before they reached his body. Arctaius drew back, as he took note of the negligible effects. He began to twist his body, moving his fist back, before he threw a haymaker at Zeta, something that made the demon cross his arms over his torso, stopping the punch. It didn’t take much longer for Kazimir to join in, though, he didn’t do so directly, rather, flying behind him, as a red light began to coil around his body, he flew forward, launching a punch, reinforced by his energy... Though, even asis fist clashed, and both his and Arctaius’ frame shook from the impact, the demon was unaffected, Arctaius launched back with a strike to his jaw. With the Russian facing the same fate, as his opponent swiftly twisted his body, a kick landed on his side. Though, the two would stop themselves mid-air, opting to regroup with the others.

As the two cleared out, Volker came in, spinning the Astaroth as he threw the blade forward, which spun in the air like a helicopter’s rotor, the speed of the revolutions increasing as it flew toward Zeta. Soon, it crashed into the demon’s shoulder, its revolutions continuing as the repeated clangs and sparks echoed out. This stopped soon enough, as Zeta backhanded the blade away, with the flick of his wrist, the blade going back to its sender, flying past him, and embedding itself into the asphalt below them. Before Volker even had time to process this, he found a hand around his throat, Zeta’s. Now, the demon flung him into the ground, with the slayer crashing shortly after. Only further spreading the deversation. Volker, however, was not willing to give in just yet, rushing Zeta down, opening his hand, as the Asartoh flew to him. Now, he began to make swipes at the demon, only to hit air, as he easily ducked and weaved away from the strikes. Though his face was something that barely looked human, one could tell from his body language, he wasn’t taking this seriously at all.

Zeta drove his fist into the Slayer’s stomach, making his eyes widen as he stumbled back. Though, it only took a few moments for him to regain his composure, as he gave the general a defiant look. Ready to take more swipes at him. A plan that was shorly ended, as he was thrown away by a strike he barely even perceived.

Part B

“We aren’t even damaging him. Just what is he?!” Actaius questioned.

“We have not seen demons this strong…” Volker began, trailing off.

“Not even the one that killed father…”

Jirou glanced at Arctaius.

“Could we use the same strategy we did with Ignatius?”

“Perhaps, but...We still don’t know the nature of his abilities.” Arctaius responded.

Jirou puts his hands forward, ready to begin his support. While Arctaius flew forward, kicking up winds, soon joined by Volker, he flew along with him.

“You.. You’d best not get in my way.”

As Arctaius spoke, Volker turned his gaze forward.

“Likewise.”

“Gravity well!!”

Soon enough, Zeta began to plummet to the ground, his movements forcefully stopped, as the two fighters began to rapidly approach him. However, long before they reached him, as he flexed his arms, his movements came back once more, as he made his way back up to his original height. Jirou’s eyes widened at this, until he thought of a simple solution, an increase in force. As such, he pressed down once more, only for his opponent to break free.

“He… Broke through my gravity well… No, he negated it!!!”

Arctaius and Volker stopped in their tracks as the words reached their ears.

“Negated it? But the only way for him to do that would be if he had some control over Gravity Waves as well.” Arctaius noted.

It was then that Alarick stepped forward, decidingly giving his own theory.

“What we saw earlier may have very well been him controlling airwaves. Rapid air-pressure change would be more than enough to make them explode.”

Zhao nodded.

“That’s two down, and I think we’ve figured out what the rest will be. He is controlling “waves” as a whole… The issue being, that’s a large number of techniques he could be using.”

The group went silent at this, well aware of the danger this opponent could pose, if that wasn’t already clear. Now, they leaped forward for another attack. Kazimir deconstructed the buildings around them, closing his hands, as he increased the density, before he flung the cubes at Zeta, something that remained ineffective, as he rapidly moved through the air, moving around the attacks. But, the Russian was not the only one to attack in that instance. The rest of the fighters bounded between the blocks, rapidly changing their angles and flight paths, an attempt to make themselves unpredictable… And yet, to Zeta, they all looked rather slow as they moved around him, and as they flew to attack him. An annoyed expression came onto the demon’s face as he looked at this. Knowing how outmatched they were, and still trying to push forward. What nuisances they were… WiIthin moments, he flashed around, landing strikes upon all the fighters as he did so, left unable to even respond, they were knocked around by the maelstrom of hits, until he began to knock them all into the ground. Arctaius was the first to fall, creating a crater where the road used to be, and the others following, landing in the same place.

“I’ve wasted enough time on you weaklings… It’s time to end this.”

As he finished, a crimson light began to swirl around his body, the amount only increasing as he stuck two of his fingers out. Volker’s eyes widened as his head popped up, the same happening with Miyamoto.

“HIs energy is spiking, whatever he’s doing, we need to stop it!!” Volker yelled.

With this, seemingly, the entire group begins flying upward, ready to carry out Volker’s suggestion. Zeta’s expression remained unchanged… After all, how would beings like this do anything against him. All they’d done here was confirm his theory about the weakness of the humans… Even those that stood above the rest. Arctaius disappeared from the demon’s sight, appearing behind him, cloaked in a golden light. He sent a strike at the small of his back, Unprepared for the being to suddenly rear on him, rotating its body and kicking him into the ground, launching chunks of earth up.

No sooner were these chunks stopped mid-air, as a red glow surrounded them. Courtesy of Kazimir. He tightened his fists, something that made the stones change, seemingly becoming darker, as the density increased drastically. Something followed by sending them toward Zeta, with Miyamoto following between the chunks, a red claw formed of light appearing over her hand. She bounded between them with great speed, creating a number of different targets for him to track. The chunks of earth began to smash into him, forcefully changing his position, all the while, Miyamoto would follow up after each impact, swiping at the demon’s body.

It continued again, and again, until, with a simple flick of his wrist, the stones around him were blown away with a burst of air. Before being ripped apart soon after. In this same way, Miyamoto was thrown away, a rip forming on her shirt. Small cuts appeared on her body. Even after all that, the demon had no visible wounds, aside from small chinks on his armored plates. And even those began to meld, healing rapidly. Leaving the effects of their attack negligible. He swiped his hands in the shape of an X, before he invoked two words.

“Gale Cross.”

Within moments, the group was grounded, with deep gashes appearing across their respective bodies, blood staining the ground under them, or, rather, formerly under them. As the ground under them was cut. Deep lines formed on the ground as it was cut through as well, Four in total. The lines grew to stretch across the ruins of southern shima, but they did not stop there. Going even further, into the rest of Tokyo itself. Within the city’s many wards, confused, if not downright terrified chatters began, as the lines in the ground extended in their scope, until they had even spread out of Tokyo, until, it had left a scar across Honshu... Zeta glanced around, at the area around them, his eyes eventually falling upon the unconscious forms of the humans who’d come to fight him. Scoffing at their power, or rather, their lack thereof.

“We shall proceed as planned… I do not expect to have an issue if this is the best they have.”

Now, a familiar void opened up behind him, as he made his way inside, before, disappearing soon after.

To Be Continued