Tides Of Protomis CV

Across the nation of Yamato, the government began to assess the results of the demonic invasion. What warships had been destroyed in combat, and who they were crewed with, attempts to investigate the wreckage began as well. At the least, provided there was any wreckage left. In some areas, said wreckage had melded with the twisted metal and chunks of concrete that denoted the destroyed buildings. In that same vein, agents from Yamato Kingdom Emergency Recovery, or, as it was more commonly called, Y.A.C.R,were on the scene. What could be rebuilt, how fast could it be rebuilt, how many jobs would be lost, who would have to be relocated? There were important questions indeed, and with the nature of the previous battle, there was no doubt it’d be a headache answering them all. Many other states shared the same issue, no doubt. For the Tides, they had their own issues to handle. Zhao found himself put in a somewhat familiar situation, with two bright-eyed children standing in front of him, awaiting his words. In the monastery, he helped in teaching the new members their ways of life, but as for teaching combat, that was a different story. In this regard, perhaps looking to how Guan taught him and his contemporaries was the answer, but, he would push this aside for now, and ask some questions that remained unclear.

“Now then, Before we get started. Yuji, Emi, how exactly did you end up with Alarick? Do you have any parents, or family to return too?” He kneeled to their level, awaiting a response. But it seemed this question alone was enough to drain some of the enthusiasm out of them, given how their smiles dropped. Yuji’s lips parted for a moment, as he debated telling the youth, but they eventually closed. The one who would step forward, was Emi, who twiddled her thumbs as she began explaining the past.

Naganai Ruins -

The city of Naganai had formerly been a major city that had served as a sort of rival to the city of Kobe. Having a large shipyard that created the ship’s which made up Yamato's skyfleet, though it was not the largest, it was certainly near that level. In addition to being a population and commerce center. It was for that reason, that, in the year 2009, orbital bombardment fell upon the city, a strike to cripple the state’s production capacity. In a moment, a bustling city had been turned into a crumbling wasteland, with its inhabitants nowhere to be found. There were only a few survivors, in the tunnels that had been constructed underneath the city years beforehand, that remained unknown to most. It was here that the two known as Yuji and Emi found themselves.

…

The earthen tunnels which made up the Naganai tunnels were dark, and damp. But, thankfully, mostly safe, supported by Zycrium beams, which had thankfully mostly stood the test of time. One of the many groups that inhabited the underground were in what was supposed to be an underground greenhouse. Luckily, the reactor underground was being maintained by somebody, allowing for the UV lights, and water to keep moving, as such, food was still growing.

Among the members was a woman with flowing white hair, wearing a black dress, which had clearly been ripped and re-stitched a large number of times. Said dress stopped at her knees, Kubo Ran. And a red-haired man, wearing a t-shirt and jeans, as well as a sheathed blade that looked like it belonged to a soldier. How he got it was anyone’s guess. But he always kept it on his person, in case things went wrong. This was Koyanagi Ko. These two guided and protected a group of ten younger children, who’d been able to survive their infancy, though it sure wasn’t easy. As the two watched them play, they leaned back into their chairs, with Ran the first to speak.

“You know, I always wonder how these tunnels came to be. We lived in Naganai our whole lives and never found out about them.”

“When I was out scavenging, I recall hearing one of the guys from the eastern tunnels mention some company using this as an experiment to see how an underground city would work… It’s not like us spreading into space was guaranteed.” Ran hummed in agreement, as he explained this. All things considered, the day was going as normal. But this much promptly changed, as footsteps could be heard in the tunnel that lay outside. Something which made the ever vigilant Ko stand from his seat, had placed on his blade… Afterward, a Gruff voice sounded from beyond the door.

“Koyanagi, Come out!”

Ko recognized that voice, no doubt, as did Ran. In these tunnels, there were those who had turned to other ways of sustenance, rather than scavenging for parts, or growing food, they simply took it. After all, though there were some lines you didn’t cross it wasn’t as if there was any sort of law down here. These people who didn’t even know how the world was doing outside of their microcosm weren’t exactly thinking of forming a government. The man on the other side of the door was around the two’s age, Juba Shigeru, the leader of a raider band, who Ko had clashed with before.

“Don’t try it, Shigeru… You know very well that I know how to use this blade, and need I mention that the others aren’t too far away…” As Ko trailed off, and glanced back at Ran, he nodded, and she did in return. The woman walked toward the children, and kneeled to their level. One of the first to speak was Emi.

“Big Sis, what’s going on?” She questioned.

“Yeah, and who’s that guy?” Yuji inquired. The same curiosities were echoed by the surrounding herd, but Ran hushed them by putting a finger to her lips.

“We’re leaving from the other entrance, don’t worry, Ko will handle it soon enough” That much seemed to be enough for them. Or at least, most. Yuji and Emi glanced at each other as they began walking in the other direction. Though they did not express their worry in words, it was very clear that they weren’t exactly confident that what she was saying was true. While they cleared out, Ko continued to bring his hand closer to his blade as he strides forward.

“Hold on, Ko, It’s me, Kurou!” A man on the other end yelled, this much made Ko pause.

“From the scouting party? What are you doing with Shigeru?”

“Something really dangerous popped up, and we believe it’s coming our way! Open the door, we gotta run to somewhere more hidden!” Kurou responded… There was no small amount of trust between them, and that much was enough for Ko. He glanced over his shoulder.

“Ran, open the door.” She nodded and went over to the control panel on the far side of the room, flipping a switch, which led to the steel doors beginning to part. Which led to the members of the group rushing in, some turning around to watch the door for the time being.

“Alright, what’s going on here?” As Ko questioned this, the leader of the raiders stepped forward.

“We were near central, and next thing we know, the ceiling caves in, and this… Things fall through.” Shigeru explained.

“The ceiling, meaning… You actually got a glimpse of above-ground?”

“Not a long one, only the sky. We thought about finally trying to get out but it attacked us before we knew it. Half of our crew are dead, and it kept attacking anyone it saw..”

“That’s not good… Let’s get out of here, then.” With that much said, Ko, the raiders, and what looked to be some members of his old scouting party, formed a perimeter around the children, for obvious reasons, with Ran herself being handed a Yari by one of the raiders.

“This doesn’t look good…” Emi mumbled, apparently, a sentiment shared by the rest of the children. Their confusion had once more come to the front of their minds, but, Yuji, as usual, was there to help in that regard.

“Don’t worry, Emi, we have Big Bro and Big Sis protecting us, we can get through.” Yuji responded.

But, what came next would change their lives forever. The mentioned creature had torn through the members of the raiding party, as they barred its path and slowed it down, in that same vein, Koyanagi Ko had been killed as well… Though the children had just barely managed to escape, there were only two left. It did not take long for the ones they’d considered family to die within an hour. But they would move forward regardless, and it only made sense for them to do so, it was what the ones they called their older siblings would have wanted. Though they had never been on the outside world before, and were fish out of water, it simply meant they had a need to adapt.

As Emi stopped explaining this, Zhao finally stood to his feet.

“Given their lack of last names… And the fact that they were in an unknown underground city, apparently since they were infants, They must be Kuhakumo. Blank Children, those with no records… ” While he heard about them, he’d never met any. But that wasn’t important.

“Then let’s train you well, and make sure nothing like that happens again… I’ll be leaving soon, but for now, I’ll teach you some basic techniques. You two can refine your understanding until I return…”

They nodded at this.

Elsewhere in Tokyo, Arctaius walked down a residential street, one that was more than famillar to him. Indeed, being the one that held the Hoshi household, he strolled through the gate, and tapped the doorbell. As he did so, Asami’s phone was pinged, and she saw the man standing there as he usually did, his hands shoved into his pockets. Her eyes widened in surprise at this. The girl wordlessly threw on her shirt, and began running downstairs, opening the door, and latching onto the man soon after, much to his surprise.

“I was so worried! Why do you always do this?!” This much was meant with the man attempting to dissipate her worries.

“Calm Down… I’m fine, aren’t I?” He questioned. Asami stepped back for a moment, removing her arms from around him. It was then that she took note of the wounds that, though covered, were there nonetheless.

“Fine by your standards is not the same as mine…” She retorted. Arctaius glanced away, as he spoke once more.

“That’s beside the point... What happened while I was gone? You look like you’ve been crying.”

That much was a touchy subject, it had only happened a few days ago, but she felt it was better to confide with the youth. Though her speaking was low, it was audible

“Kazumi, She... When we were running away from one of those demons, she got hit by one of their attacks…. And…”

“She didn’t make it out?” Arctaius finished. She looked down, saying nothing in response. But that much was enough to confirm his suspicions. This type of thing wasn’t his field of expertise, but regardless, he brought her close, and wrapped his arms around her. For the time being, it seemed as if that was all she needed. He would need to see them and leave quickly, he’d rather not have another wave come with stronger members of the demonic species. But he would wait some time before he continued on.

“Where are the others, then?”

“They went to Visit Yudei in the hospital…” She answered.

“Alright... It’s better if everyone is here for this.”

“Here for w-”

She didn’t have much time to speak, as Arctaius lifted her in a bridal carry, pushing himself off the ground, and levitating above it.

“Grab on tight…” She did just that, but found herself questioning what he was talking about once more. While in Shishigai, one Jirou Hashimoto met with his father. The Lord Of the Dusk sat with his chin rested upon clasped hands, eyes closed, while his son stood in front of his desk.

“So that’s how it is, huh?”

Jirou nodded.

“We’ll be back as soon as we take care of things…” The yakuza responded. Even if he wasn’t going himself, there was certainly ways that he could help.

“If that’s the case, I’ll make sure to buy some food and other necessities, and have you take them with you… After all, who knows how long you’ll be in this other realm.” That much, Jirou expected, his father was always ready to involve himself in some way. But, it wasn’t as if he was annoyed by it, or, as much as he used to be. Jirou nodded at this as he began exiting the room. The team continued to work upon starting the counter-invasion, with Zhao going to find one they knew well. A martial artist who happened to be in Shanghai, his current location. There were signs of battle within the city, making it clear that the demons had made their way here as well.

“This should be quick… I can already sense Yu”

Zhao’s flight stopped, as his eyes flew across the city. In the distance he took note of two things, A hospital, and Liang within one of the many windows. The stark white room was divided in two by a glass wall. One having a few chairs, and leading into the hallway. And another which held a bed, bathroom, which itself was sectioned off, and a face that looked somewhat reminiscent of Liang. Zhao flew toward the opened window, entering and landing on the floor, which made the gazes of both occupants move toward him.

“Zhao Lei…What might you be doing here? Thought you were over in Yamato.”

“Normally, I would be, but I came personally to tell you something… We have plans to eliminate demons at the source. We’re launching a counteroffensive.”

“And Let me guess, you want me to come with you?” Liang questioned

“Correct.”

“Then I must refuse… The kaemerge was one thing, but we are allies of convenience… I can not very well leave when Cuifen is in this state.”

It looked as if her brother’s protectiveness was winning this time around. It wasn’t exactly something she was eager to allow, she’d seen reports of the attacks, and she was even nearly a victim. Regardless of that, however, she was going to speak her mind. The girl stood up from her bed, striding toward the glass, and knocking on it to catch their attention.

“Can I atleast have a say in this? I’m the one you’re talking about, after all.”

The two Turned to Cuifen, who inhaled before speaking.

“I’m going to be frank… I want you to go with them. There’s alot more people than me at risk, Brother.”

Liang shook his head.

“That would leave you vulnerable, I can not leave you in the hands of these people- knowing well that they can’t handle this… Those Low class demons are one thing, but the stronger ones are too much for them to handle… Hold on, I’m sensing another proto-human.”

Soon enough, the other proto-human they sensed had arrived in the room soon after. Having finally made his way to earth, Bijan Lafeyah, one who was unexpected, to say the least, was here.

“Liang, Lei. It’s been a while, hasn’t it! Heard what was going on during a mission, sure, what I was doing was important, but this surely takes precedence. Sides’, I got a reliable team to take care of things while I’m gone.”

“Well, that explains why you came back to earth.” Liang responded.

“That aside, I think I have an answer to your problem, LIang… You can go to the demon realm with Zhao and the rest, and I'll look after Cuifen until you get back”

It wasn’t exactly a bad proposal, but one he thought about for some time, looking up at the ceiling as he did so. Eventually, his gaze went downward, toward his system, Zhao, and then, toward Bijan.

“Fine… I’m sure I can trust you with this, Lafeyah.” He got a thumbs up in response.

“Of course. You aint the only one who’s been training all this time…”

Liang smirked as he turned to Zhao.

“Where are we headed?”

“Mankitsu Financial, We need to be there by dusk.” The monk responded. The next tide found himself in front of a luxurious building, which served as a sort of vacation home for the Galanos. It was there that he met with the princess of Gythros herself.

“So... That’s how it is. Come back to me, Alright?”

“We don’t die too easily, Iris… We’ll be back before you know it.” Alarick responded.

“Alright.” Iris Responded.

While this continued, Arctaius and Asami had finally arrived in the hospital, where Yudei sat up in his bed, and his friends all awaited his words.

“Well, Now that we’re all here… It’s about time that i tell you what we plan to do... I’ve decided that I'm going to the demon realm with the others.” The room was silent for quite some time. Leaving the country was one thing…But going to another world?

“:I should’ve expected this…” Yudei commented.

“Wait… That was it?! This reckless act again... You could get some injuries way worse than what you did this time around!” Asami scolded.

“I’m well aware, but at the same time, I could get the same injuries while staying here,and I'd make no progress... Besides, there’s a simple solution to that: Win our battles.”

Another of the room’s occupants chimed in.

“Still though- if you charge in, and you don’t know what you’re fighting against, it’ll be a problem.”

“Indeed, Akashi, I must inquire- Corde, what do you plan to do about that?” Shinto questioned.

“It's the same for them... However long their barrier has been up for, those so-called demons don’t seem to know much about us either… You may say what you want- but I don't plan on changing my mind..” Arctaius trailed off as he began walking toward Asami, bringing her into his embrace once more. He did not linger for long, however. Shortly walking off as he pulled away.

“I’ll come back alive. I’ve done it before, and I CAN do it again. Trust me on that much.”

Arctaius leaped out of the window, before letting his abilities take effect soon afterward, shooting across the city at high speeds, and weaving through the many skyscrapers. Time had passed since then, and the sun was setting. The city’s lights had just begun to turn on. Arctaaius’ focus however, was on the large spire, where the members of his own group, and the slayer, Gilga, stood. With Jirou having what seemed to be a cart full of steel crates, marked as various types of Provisions, though, this much was promtply brought into a darkened void by Alarick, stored. He landed close by, speaking soon after.

“Alright, looks like we’re all here… You even got Yu to come, that’s a surprise…”

“Quiet, Corde…” The martial artist responded

“Let’s hurry this up.” As Miyamoto spoke, a red sphere appeared in her hands, as she pushed the demonic energy into her palms. As she split them, the space in front of them was rended, with a gate to the other realm now opened… The members of the group rushed in, ready to do battle with whatever was on the other side.

To Be Continued