Now, since this is going to introduce a whole new level of make-up lore, I'll make it clear... I don't owe Tower of God. I just came up with ideas to keep the story going, and I do hope you enjoy it.
2 years passed since the Beastkin were liberated from the Lo Po Bia Family, and surprisingly, attacks and operations of the armies of Jahad and the Great Families on his side was reducing. This was quite surprising, as even when the UFH took more and more ground, there wasn't as much of a retaliation as they had expected. While the armies of UFH began to grow more confident, Bam and the other leading figures of the UFH were growing more uneasy. Something was wrong, for sure, as they knew Jahad's Empire still possessed more than enough momentum to push back against them. That meant they were planning something big.
Unfortunately, the UFH didn't have much spies left in the Jahad's Army or the other Great Families, as Jahad had exterminated most of the insiders FUG and the Great Families who turned against him, and the ones who were still alive were laying low, only relaying information through dream-related spells for security. They also weren't high enough in the ranks to know about what was going on. All they knew was that Tu Perie Tperie was planning something called "The Amassment of Power", a suspicious but quite secretive code name.
It was only when Bam was finally sent to spy on a meeting between Tperie and Traumerei that he finally discovered the absolutely stunning truth, Tperie's plan being something so planned out that only now did Bam truly realize just how much Tperie was truly the "smarts" of the Great Warriors. He had managed to remain concealed as he observed them from afar with all the Scout skills he had learned from Yurin and many others, but he almost couldn't keep his teleportation from being caught by the two of them.
Tperie's plans revolved around "The Core of the Tower" and "The Tower Administrator", both being such myths that only Gustang and Masceth themselves knew it existed. The Core of the Tower was said to be a dimension where the creator of the Tower, the true ruler of it, resided, and reportedly the very same realm where Jahad was granted his special contracts by the Tower Administrator. The Core of the Tower was almost impossible to access from the Tower, despite being deeply connected to it, and apparently even Jahad himself could only enter the realm under specific circumstances.
The Core of the Tower contained volumes of shinsu that even the likes of Tperie could only describe as being "otherworldly", beyond even the Administrator's power, so pure that it was said to be the very origin of all shinsu in the Tower. It also had a unique connection to the Outside of the Tower, allowing Tperie to even harness the "air" of the Outside.
Since the war began, Tperie had been researching it particularly, which was why he was scarcely active in comparison to the other Family Heads. He focused all of his genius into building elaborate devices that could harness the strengths of the Core of the Tower through connecting it to various spots of the Floors that had a connection to the Core, having began to develop various almighty war weapons. It was such that Tperie was confident the Workshop would no longer be needed within approximately 10 years, and that he was assured his work could end the war.
Needless to say, when Bam delivered the news, it might as well be the closest to him ever seeing Gustang panic, and Gustang grimly affirmed all the news were very much true. He even stated that if Tperie had tapped into the Core, the only way for them to have a hope at winning the war was to approach Masceth and get the Workshop to be truly on their side.
The Workshop had remained cautiously neutral during the war, providing help to both the UFH and the Jahad Empire. Masceth even still continued to interact with Gustang on good terms, making it clear the Jahad Empire did not have much influence over the Workshop. As such, Masceth welcomed Gustang with open arms when the man requested an audiance, and didn't mind Bam's presence as well, stating he found Bam's exploits to be "commendable, stylish with how you mix more intellectual competence than a reasonable amount of the lot".
That said, when Gustang told Masceth about what Bam had discovered, Masceth turned serious as he made Gustang swear that he was not lying with a spell that could affect even him, crafted personally by the Great Father of the Workshop. Masceth then performed a few hours of "reading the Tower's leylines" before he grimly clarified that it was in fact true: Tperie had been tampering with the Core of the Tower, using it's power for various creations.
And so, Masceth asked for Gustang and Bam to leave for now, as he needed to discuss this matter with his most trusted retainers of the Workshop. It only took a day, however, before Masceth came into the Poe Bidau Family Mothership and asked for Bam to come. Once Bam had arrived, Masceth then stated he and the Workshop's other high-authority had thoroughly discussed the matter, and realizing that they could not overrule the possibility that the Workshop would be opposed by Tperie's usage of the Core of the Tower, Masceth agreed to an alliance, but he attached certain conditions to it.
The first would be that Bam would truly take the position of the King of the Tower after Jahad had been felled, and he would allow the Workshop to continue operating as it had been. Bam was a bit stunned as to why Masceth required him to be the King, but Masceth simply responded by saying he was someone who looked like he would be able to use that power and responsibility well, ensuring a bright future for the Workshop. He also promised if Bam agreed, then Masceth would assist him at first, just as how he had once assisted the Great Warriors.
Secondly, while they are willing to form an alliance and would cut off assistance to the Jahad Empire, the Workshop would still focus on countering the technologies of the Core of the Tower and though they would help in other matters, the UFH could not expect a thorough help on any other form. Finally, Masceth also insisted they would allow much of the handling of the inventions made by the Core of the Tower to them, be it by providing a steady supply of stolen weapons or by gathering the energy, as he also wanted to develop the Workshop more with the power of the Core.
All those terms were reasonable, although Bam felt a bit nervous about the last part, so Gustang and Bam agreed. Masceth in return promised he would map out the series of potential spots where Tperie could be harnessing the power of the Core from so Bam could strike and deprive the Jahad Empire of as much of the resources they could gain from the Core of the Tower as possible.
Afterwards, Bam and Urek shared a talk about how if Tperie, most likely with some backing from Jahad, could access the Core of the Tower that also connected to the Outside, that meant Jahad himself most likely knew a way to leave the Tower too. Bam questioned Urek more about the Outside, and Urek talked very fondly of his home, describing how he came from a town where people were raised to be good people. He talked all about how he was the single son and always the strongest boy in his town, how he didn't really respect the Workshop, and many more.
That said, Urek took a more solemn tone as he earnestly confessed the Outside wasn't all shine and rainbows. He stated that the Outside once used to be so full of conflicts, which Urek supposed was why Jahad had been opposed to returning to the Outside and why Gustang didn't really want that either, and confessed even now, there still was a good deal of fights. Urek did, however, firmly state it was still no worse than the Tower itself was, and was better in his opinion. Bam had to admit he agreed with how he had seen the Tower's capacity for war, but he also wondered about Jahad's reasonings more.
There was still so much he didn't know of, and while Bam saw Jahad as an enemy, he was starting to wonder, over time, if that was really the best course...
3 weeks later, and Masceth finally made contact with them, revealing he had successfully uncovered four of the spots used by Tperie to harvest the Core of the Tower, along with devices capable of absorbing the energies around it to take back for further study. He also revealed that Tperie was able to create an intersection center of the spots where the Floors drew power from the Core to sustain the Floor in order to perform the experiment, and the strongest spot of it all was the 43rd Floor.
It was a simple but ingenious tactic, as there was no need to remain on the 43rd Floor now that the Thorn Fragments had all been evacuated and it wasn't an ideal place for a battlefield. Of course, there were other centers, so the other leaders of the UFH decided to send 4 troops each. Bam, Mirchea, and Baek Ryun would go along with a few dozen of FUG's strongest High Rankers, as the Floor of Death had Tperie, Traumerei, and Han guarding the intersection.
The other 3 troops were comprised of his friends and lovers, and Bam wished them luck earnestly, as he knew this would be a whole other level of difficulty. He could only hope his friends would all survive by the end of it. The girls tried to tease him into "sex for good luck", but Bam decided against it, telling them he would do so only after they all had returned safe and sound.
And so Bam set off with Mirchea and Baek Ryun, along with the Baylord Brothers, as they wanted to slay Traumerei or at least help Bam do so. Before he left, Yurin had told him a few things about Han, as they used to be lovers before. Yurin said she was over him, but she still hoped he would choose a better path for himself, and she knew he was reluctant to fight in the war on the first place, so Bam should be able to persuade him.
As soon as they arrived on the Floor of Death through the secret pathway used by FUG, they were met by several powerful High Rankers who managed to sound an alarm before Bam cut off their hands and cautarized it, leaving them bleeding and incapacitated, but still alive, Bam not wanting to kill unless he had no choice. When Bam stepped out of the pathway, however, it was to be met by an astonishing sight that left Bam silently cursing that the UFH didn't watch over the 43rd Floor.
The Floor had recovered remarkably well, apparently due to the Core of the Tower being channeled allowing the damage caused by Enryu to heal. The blood-red rivers of the 43rd Floor was mostly gone, the shinsu was now stable, and according to Soo-Oh, the power of the Guides were no longer inhibited in the Floor. Bam also checked for the Grand Family, and thankfully they had survived, although they had hid underground, choosing to believe that he would return one day. They had amassed an underground army for the day where he would return and take back the 43rd Floor, and that further supported the UFH's strength, although they were no longer immortal as the harnessing of the Core of the Tower broke the Spell of Immortality, which was they had to run.
With the additional support of the Grand Family, the UFH didn't waste too much time as they quickly came up with modifications to the plan. Bam, Mirchea, Baek Ryun, and the other powerful High Rankers would take on the Family Leaders and the main forces, while the Grand Family and part of the UFH's forces would focus on gathering what the Workshop needed as well as plant the bombs capable of destroying the intersection.
And so Bam marched forward along with the army, and was quickly challenged by the three Family Leaders AND dozens upon dozens of High Rankers. The first thing Tperie did as soon as he eyed Bam was to use some kind of a device to warp dimensions, taking Bam into a pocket reality. Tperie then pulled out the Eyes of God and admitted he had been looking forward to this fight, asking Bam not to disappoint him. With a small confident smirk, Bam nodded.
They only had these words to share before finally engaging in their rematch after the previous outward stalemate, technical victory for Tperie.
(
Tell me, Son of Arlene, even if you win, do you think you'll be able to defeat Jahad in the future?
I will. I have the faith of thousands of people on my back, and I intend to honor them. I fight not for just a select few, but for all people in the Tower. The era where the 10 Great Family Leaders could do whatever they wanted was past. In the new Tower, anyone could be judged and made to rule well.
Quite the vision you have for the future, I must say, but that was how we TRIED to rule. Your dreams were similar to that of Jahad's, yet he too changed. Do you think you'll be better, boy?
I will. Because I know what to avoid, what to do. Neither of you started out the way you did, but you've gone too far. I am fair and willing to give anyone second chances, but it doesn't seem like you're willing to take it.
Indeed. I confess, your exploits have intrigued me, reminded me of where times were better, but those days were long past. If you wish to fulfill your dream and challenge Jahad, you must prove yourself by defeating me. Even with all my tricks, I could never truly contend with Jahad, for he was a different kind of a warrior even compared to Yurin, Edahn, and Hon. If you lose to me, imagine what Jahad could do to you.
Well, I won't lose this time. You won technically the first time we fought, but now, I'll be the winner.
Ha, so confident are we? Very well then. Show me, Son of Arlene. Show me the strength of your will, the sharpness of your wisdom and mind, and all that which you have grown in since our last battle.
)
And so the fight began. Neither Bam or Tperie spared anything: Bam used his true shinsu quality, the powers of the Thorn, and threw every skill he had mastered at Tperie, while Tperie used the Eyes of God and unleashed all of his cunning mind and formidable, varying tricks. Tperie was still an extremely deadly opponent, even for Bam after all these years, but this time, true to Bam's words, it would be him standing victorious at the end.
Tperie of course made use of all the techniques he used against Bam 7 years ago, only with a bit more extra kick due to the Eyes of God being slightly superior to the Opera, but he also made use of more equipment now, applying them just as aptly as he used the Eyes of God to ensure those measures were quite capable of affecting Bam, which also supplemented Tperie's versatility in the Positions as those weapons floated around him and were applied with maximum efficiency.
The Eyes of God were already defensive enough that an Armor Inventory wasn't even really needed, but Tperie also had a powerful Armor Inventory to further enhance his defensive strengths. It was named "Aias of Sight", and could rotate around, not only blocking but also deflecting attacks, even having the shield being thrown offensively and returning to Tperie's hand. It even had the unique power of absorbing the shinsu attacks it could block before unleashing it in a singular blast, and was sturdy enough that Bam could only slightly dent and crack the shield with his serious attacks.
A powerful spear named the Spear of Destiny was masterfully manipulated as Tperie threw and altered it's trajectory, keeping it homing on Bam and having his guard up even though he could casually block the spear patterns. Tperie didn't need any other spear as the Spear could duplicate itself, allowing him to somewhat keep Bam on his toes as they were able to resist his shinsu manipulation due to the Eyes of God strengthening them.
An even stronger replica of the Kranos Yuri wielded was also available to Tperie, named "True Kranos", Tperie deciding not to change the name to honor Quadrado's aid back in the Great Journey. At the hands of Yuri, it was a more straightforward type of weapon, but Tperie transformed it into an entirely different level as he was able to harness the Eyes of God and the Kranos's own powers to a tool of almost unparalleled shinsu control.
He applied it as both a wand capable of unleashing devastating shinsu attacks that almost rivaled Bam's own and a sword that, combined with the Eyes of God, even disturbed Bam's control over space with the Second Thorn, piercing even the spatial defenses Bam made and disrupting his spatial control with slashes that affected space itself, correcting the "manipulated space" into normal. Even more disturbing was how Tperie could apply cursed seals on Bam if he hit him when it was glowing a golden blue, which prevented Bam from using shinsu until he was able to dispel it with his own knowledge of spells.
Tperie also challenged Bam to a few "games" using the Eyes of God, and it took Bam a few tries before he could deal with it without much trouble.
He surrounded himself with an impenetrable barrier and scattered the Eyes of God into dozens of Lights, forcing Bam to force the Lights back into the Eyes of God to dispel the barrier the hard physical way as they could resist the normal Lighthouse countering techniques, with a charged attack comprising of several pillars of Shinwonryu if Bam couldn't break it in time. Tperie even turned the whole dimension around them dark while he created two circles of light, in which Bam had to read the shinsu to tell which one wouldn't trap him, or else he would be rendered helpless against an onslaught of spears.
His most devastating one was where Bam would be completely surrounded by thousands of Lights while Tperie was safely secured inside the Lighthouse, launching bullets of Shinwonryu, spells that could poison or paralyze him, spears imbued with shinsu qualities, and more. Bam was fortunately able to find Tperie quick enough and stop him from using whatever attack he had been planning.
In the end, Bam won through a combination of several factors. The first was his black shinsu. Even the Eyes of God were no longer able to provide maximum defense or offense against the disruptive, destructive powers of Bam's true shinsu affinity, allowing Bam to reliably neutralize Tperie's attacks and slowly but surely overwhelm him through "superior quality".
The second was that Bam had improved his close-range prowess even further, allowing him to bypass Tperie's fierce long-range style more effectively as he landed more blow after blow, with even his kick and punch now strong enough to daze Tperie. While Tperie was proficient in healing and could constantly keep it up to withstand Bam's attacks, surviving even techniques that would have killed him various times as he used the Eyes of God to calculate healing techniques repeatedly, it was slowly becoming inefficient as he was forced to expend more of the Eyes of God and his own shinsu to fend off Bam, which eventually became his undoing.
Finally, while Bam still would be lacking compared to Tperie, he had acquired more experience in quick thinking and also had a fair share of experience with Tperie before. All that combined allowed Bam to think just ahead enough to anticipate Tperie's patterns, forming just a sufficiently cohesive analysis of Tperie's style to more efficiently counter his tricky fighting style even as he supplemented it with more weapons, having drilled and trained himself to become even more of an adaptive fighter.
In the end, Bam won through combining 3 of his Transcendental Skill. The first was Twenty-Fifth Bam Spatial Control: Transcendental Skill - Hollowness of the Void, which unleashed a huge void-like energy that disrupted Kranos, causing it to temporarily become inactive. Bam followed it up with Twenty-Fifth Bam Shinwonryu: Transcendental Skill - Luminous Moon of Heaven, creating a mountain-sized baang of Shinwonryu and unleashing several blasts that forced Tperie to completely focus into the defensive, even using the Spear of Destiny, which still destroyed the Spear, damaged his Armor Inventory, and drained the Eyes of God just temporarily.
It was enough for Bam to close in and unleash the same skill his master had used on Kallavan, the Dragon Tiger Gate, now having been truly mastered by Bam. He could have used his own variant, but Bam decided it was unnecessary. By the end of it, Tu Perie Tperie was left dying as Bam panted deeply, heavily exhausted but nevertheless victor.
Tperie praised Bam, wondering if this was what Jahad saw in him. Bam asked Tperie about Jahad, and Tperie hinted Jahad needed Bam for his plans regarding the 135th Floor. That was cryptic, but Tperie refused to answer more. He sent much of his data to Jahad for him to use the Core of the Tower afterwards, but voluntarily left Bam with the broken pieces of the Spear of Destiny and the damaged Aias, telling Bam he had earned enough from him before he self-exploded the Eyes of God with his last breath.
As Bam healed himself, quite worn out from the battle, Mirchea and Baek Ryun were able to put up quite the struggle against the opposing Family Leaders. It was honestly a match of ideals and personalities, to be honest, as Traumerei hated the Grace Family more than anything now and Mirchea fought hard to defend the honor of the Graces, while Han wanted the war to end as soon as possible and had doubts for the war and Baek Ryun also would have preferred peace, but saw he had no choice. They needed Bam to strike the killing blow, but they still fought magnificently.
Baek Ryun's fighting style was primarily that of a shinsu-physical specialist, excelling most in Wave Controller while also being very proficient in reinforced hand-to-hand combat. He sported a graceful fighting style as he could seamlessly switch between offense and defense, and his battle abilities were proven to be quite worthy of his Rank as he took out dozens of strong Rankers without much effort whenever he got to fight. He and Bam had gotten along pretty well, as Bam's determination and personality remind him fondly of Urek.
As a Wave Controller, Baek Ryun expertly blended powerful shinsu manipulation in the form of strong defensive techniques, manifesting barriers and reflecting attacks, with the white-winged theme of Wolhaiksong representing his protective skills, and also good offense as he threw thousands of baangs and primarily used nature-related shinsu attacks as fitting the man who had "became one with the greatest forest in the Tower", effortlessly spawning hundreds of sharp wood projectiles, creating huge dragon-like constructs that could fire streams of mud, and so on.
His nature affinities also extended to water, and he applied it with quite the fluidity as he used programmed attacks such as compressed baangs turning into huge torrents of water, even using water shinsu to turn himself invisible by reflecting light off his body while being able to move quickly and unpredictably by applying a layer of water between his feet and the ground to glide instead of running.
Baek Ryun also magnificently incorporated his affinity with nature into his physical prowess. He had a conservative fighting style as he applied one of the strongest forms of Bajiquan there was, taking the shortest route with as minimum of initial movements as possible and using shinsu to ensure each of his attacks were like strong Piercing Techniques. Combine that with how seamlessly the Captain of Wolhaiksong transformed his fists into rocks or focused water into his hands, even able to shape the water into a weightless extension in the form of a sword or a spear, which he could also throw with good accuracy, allowing him to function as both a Fisherman and Spear Bearer efficiently.
In the end, when Bam returned to the field, Baek Ryun had almost stalemated Han, the two of them sustaining considerable wounds, and although Bam still wasn't in perfect shape, he was able to dispatch Han, who was also weakened, with a surprisingly short time of 20 minutes while both of them were at a same level of injury. It was easier than the other fights he went through against the Great Family Leaders, as Han was one of the weaker ones, and it also happened that Han's fighting style was that which he had gotten particularly used to.
Han was primarily a Fisherman and Scout with an uncanny flair for Defender, as fitting someone of his personality, and his fighting style focused on defensive techniques first before retaliating with counters designed to bring down enemy as quickly, which was what made a fighter like Baek Ryun a hard match for him as the man was as capable as he was at defense as he was in offense.
Bam himself was also familiar with this way of fighting, having applied it at first numerous times before during his training against the likes of his master and other Top 100 at the level where he was still "weak" and then against teachers like Urek and Yurin in case he had to survive a pitched fight against either Hon, Edahn, or worse, Jahad himself, so he knew how to best counter it, which attributed to Bam's greater ease in overwhelming Han.
Han was a masterful Scout who focused on stealth strikes, being very agile and quick on his feet as his silent movements meant he could seamlessly disappear if one let their guard down, even including High Rankers beyond Top 100 like him, and also adept at making use of the terrain, but both of those skills, Bam had already mastered himself after having trained under the best Scout herself. His senses were already attuned enough to react to Han's stealth, but it was still a bit of a trouble, so Bam unveiled a skill he reserved for the Scout Position.
He developed the Moonchild Seekers, where he created a circle of butterflies and used them as makeshift Observers with battle abilities beyond even the Observers of the old. Each butterfly was highly attuned to the shinsu and had strong senses, which allowed them to react to even Han's stealth tactics from all directions. He could also replicate all the effects of an Observer with the butterflies, having them project dozens of holograms to confuse the enemy, reflect obscure attacks such as opposing Observer skills and lighthouse techniques.
This mostly rendered Han's stealth approaches ineffective, but he still kept up pretty well as he made use of what he had, using makeshift projectiles of the surroundings such as throwing debris to distract Bam or smashing a nearby shinsu generator to cause an explosion.
Han's bladework were that of tightly-focused motions that could be seamlessly switched as he kept his body as unassailable as possible to deflect all attacks before then swiftly retaliating, which also allowed him to blend in shinsu techniques whenever he saw the opportunity or if he had to in order to create an opening without breaking his focus.
Han's shinsu control was also commendable, as his shinsu defenses and baangs were quite strong, and he could unleash huge needles and control them to home on targets with excellent accuracy. Han also made a somewhat regular use of Shinwonryu, applying the technique in the form of strong repulsive shinsu, infusing it into his weapons, or even creating rays from the back of his enemies.
It was the greatest example of the Ari Style, but Bam was well-aware of it's weaknesses after having sparred with and learned from Jinsung and then also being taught by Yurin on how to better counter it. Bam knew Han was susceptible to "power" types, so he made sure to upkeep a strong Reinforcement while keeping his defenses sharp, slowly but surely overwhelming Han as he left little openings to exploit and managed to both wear down and damage the Ari Family Head as he outdueled Han with his dual-blades. He remained aggressive but also nimble and open to making swift movements, key traits to his victory.
In the end, it wasn't a powerful shinsu technique that beat Han, but a simple victory of Bam when they were locking their blades, with Bam simply forcefully flicking his Sword to disarm Han. Bam had Han in his mercy, but he didn't kill him. Instead, Bam told Han he could leave and not try to oppose the UFH without joining them, but made it clear if he did join the Jahad Empire again, then Bam would kill him. Han looked Bam fleetingly before warping out of the scene.
On the other hand, even though Traumerei also met his end here, he also managed to kill off Mirchea, thus making Mirchea the first and only one of the leaders of the UFH to die.
The Baylord Brothers survival of Traumerei's attack back then was a great feat of it's own, alright, but they were still outclassed and focused their efforts on fighting off Traumerei's Shinheuh while Mirchea fought Traumerei directly.
Yama was now at the Top 50 of the rankings, having mastered Full-Body Transformation to the point where he could retain it all over his body, his body glowing with radiant orange-reddish shinsu as he tore through enemy's ranks using huge shinsu claws and manifesting the External Transformation in various forms, summoning powerful fur beasts that he could add certain inspirations from the powers of other Beastkin for flexibility. With strong hand-to-hand combat skills and such a powerful body, Yama was one of the best Fisherman around.
Doom had finally achieved Full-Body Transformation after years of training, though only on both arms and legs, and over the course of the war, eventually chose to become a great Scout in order to honor his father, as Yama had already taken Wangwang's speciality for Fisherman. He had always specialized more in fighting creatively and calculating ahead, so Scout was a good Position for him.
Paul, on the other hand, chose to specialize as a Wave Controller and Spear Bearer after failing to achieve a Full-Body Transformation for so long, causing him to find other ways of obtaining strength rather than focusing on Transformation. He eventually discovered that his "mother" belonged to a species who had a particular affinity for shinsu, and as he had always been a Wave Controller formally, he decided to improve on his shinsu skills while also developing proficiency over the spear, which caused him to reach his true potential as Paul became one of the Top 200 Rankers.
Mirchea had gave his best, to be fair, and he often came to the aid of the Baylord Brothers still whenever Traumerei turned his attention towards them. The Head of FUG was only a bit weaker than Baek Ryun was, and was known to be a fierce, cunning warrior who fought with an elaborate and unpredictable fighting style focusing on aggression.
He primarily fought as a Fisherman, fighting with both his Great Black Hook and a sword, using what he could of V's swordsmanship style and exceptional skills with the Hook as a Fisherman, once dispatching 100 High Rankers within a matter of 5 minutes with just pure skill with those two weapons, while occasionally making use of proficient Krav Maga skills, simultaneously attacking and defending while targetting the most vulnerable with skillful repeated strikes. Overall, his fighting style suited his Sobriquet, Tiger Fish, with how deadly yet elegant it was.
He also made good use of Shinsu Reinforcement and the Floral Butterfly Piercing Technique that was developed personally by V and taught to Mirchia to make the trademark of FUG, his attacks being the only ones that could actually damage and wound Traumerei while the Baylord Brothers almost got themselves killed when they got close to Traumerei and was swiftly kicked with such force as to break ribs and had their hearts pierced. Mirchea had to come to their aid those times, pushing Traumerei back enough for him to heal them with shinsu.
Mirchea also manipulated shadow-quality shinsu with great skill, using liquid darkness in hundreds of baangs, a tornado of shadows, slicing saucers, and even a tidal wave. It was partially why Mirchea was called the God of Devils, as he manipulated "darkness" with such power and proficiency.
Mirchea also used the spells Arlene had taught him to great effect, being one of the best sorcerers in the Tower, such as cloaking himself and the three brothers for invisible attacks, conjuring illusions to distract Traumerei and his Shinheuh, weakening Traumerei's shinheuh with cursed seals, replicating elemental attacks, and even creating a draining area where he could absorb energy from Traumerei's Shinheuh and dessicate them to heal both himself and the Baylord.
Mirchea lead the Baylord Brothers well, coordinating their attacks and working together to push past Traumerei's Shinheuh, but while their combined efforts would have won if it had been Traumerei before the war, Traumerei was on another level now. He managed to outfight Mirchea in close-range despite Mirchea's best efforts and his Shinheuh techniques were strong enough to inflict numerous considerable wounds on Mirchea, and while Mirchea's spells gave Traumerei trouble, Traumerei was quite familiar with sorcery as well, so he managed to dispel it.
Combine that with Traumerei's almost unlimited ability to resurrect any of his creatures no matter what, and Mirchea and the Baylord Brothers were slowly cornered and suffered severe injuries. Traumerei also didn't earn his reputation for being better at chess than Gustang for nothing, as he steadily adjusted to fit the situation and managed to figure out most of Mirchea's strategies until he eventually managed to trick Mirchea by luring him in and making him think his Shinheuhs were at their limits before swiftly landing a devastating blow to the heart.
Although Bam arrived soon enough, catching Traumerei completely off-guard and stabbing him in the throat and the heart with his blades, even flowing the Thorn into his blades, ensuringly causing Traumerei to explode in a burst of blood-red shinsu, the damage was done. Mirchea was too heavily damaged to be saved, and with his last breath, he told Bam now Bam was "one of two survivors of the Grace Family" and pleaded for him to take charge over the FUG section of the UFH.
Bam had came to forgive Mirchea over the years, and he was saddened to see the man die, as he realized Mirchea was a well-intentioned extremist who regretted what had to be done. Over the years, he appreciated Mirchea's attempts to be a "big brother" figure, as Mirchea had apparently been adopted by Arlene for him to have the Grace Family name. He made the promise that he would, if only so Mirchea would die in peace.
And so the battle seemingly came to an end. Although they were victorious, it was at an unexpected cost of one of the leading figures of the UFH dying. Those from FUG especially mourned their leader's death, but were willing to accept Bam as their new leader, if only because it was Mirchea's dying wish.
Just as Bam and the others had celebrated victory, only 30 minutes after the battle was seemingly won and shortly after Bam had arranged for Mirchea's corpse to be given an honorable funeral, none other but King Jahad himself arrived into the field, his overwhelming power on an entirely different level compared to what they faced before. His arrival was completely shocking and struck such fear into the hearts of the UFH that most of them were paralyzed by fear. Bam himself also felt the pressure, and for the second time, he felt like all his efforts just wasn't enough, as though Jahad was still far more powerful than him.
Jahad simply retrieved Tperie and Traumerei's bodies, wrapping them in gold-red coffins, and warped it away before using Observers and Lighthouses to scan what remained of the mostly destroyed intersection chamber. Jahad then turned towards Bam. The words he said sent both shivers and sparks of frustration into Bam's being.
You have grown very strong over the years, but it is not enough. Not close. You lack engagement in adversity, the feeling of adrenaline coursing through your veins, the experience of war. For those 7 years, you have been hiding from me, hoping to grow strong enough to surpass me in time. A fool's approach. Strength and skill is not acquired by simple training, even with powerful figures, but through applying your powers in life-death matches and developing from experience.
Not only that, you also haven't embraced... Your true power. You have yet to realize or acknowledge the harsh reality of the Tower. What a shame. You disappoint me, Son of Arlene. I thought you would have learned.
With a shake of his head, Jahad turned his sight into the sky, and with wide eyes, Bam watched as the sky turned red, a man who Bam couldn't mistake for anyone except for the infamous Red Tower looking at Jahad evenly as the King flew to face the Red Tower.
Quite an unorthodox way of making your first impression on him, Enryu. I thought you would have appeared earlier for your nephew.
It was at that moment that Bam realized exactly who the second member of the Grace Family in the Tower was, and why Enryu was the "God's Messanger". The fact that just after Mirchea, the seeming only other Grace in the Tower, died, another "real" member of the Grace Family showed up, one actually related to Arlene by blood, was overwhelming, and Bam had so many questions, but Enryu had turned to Bam and told him he should protect himself and the others until the time came where they could all escape.
That had Bam wary as he realized even Enryu himself seemed to consider Jahad a challenge. If even a man who could kill the supposedly invincible Floor Administrator was like that, then Bam realized just how much he really still had left to go.
The sky turning an interesting shade of pink as Jahad unleashed his full power only furthered that thought in Bam's mind.
Poor Mirchea... I decided that I wanted to show just how high the scales of this war were by killing off such a powerful guy. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy how Bam will take over the Grace Family after this, especially when he becomes King, he he...
And the final boss of this arc has APPEARED! As this is the middle arc, I think it would be fair to give a preview of what Jahad in this universe is capable of.
As a foreshadowing to how the next chapter will be, it's title is "All-Out War: Hope Even In Loss".
