Mane's axe once again changed the landscape of the land right outside Amalgamation. A canyon much greater and several times deeper than what Ancestor Origin had managed with half his strength was born from Mane's strike, and the land shook unstably as several areas of the planet experienced earthquakes and other strange phenomena.
Everyone who had some amount of power and was a terrifying figure for the World of the Three Great Races was alarmed. The Barbarian Primogenitor's eyes were filled with great concern and a bit of fear as her eyes took in the gravity of the battle. She was nowhere near the battle site, and her city should have been spared the rage of the combatants who seemed intent on destroying everything around them. But that wasn't so. Just below her the inhabitants of Intersection scrambled to escape the city. The place which used to be their place of refuge was no longer safe enough for even the insects that roamed the stalls and pestered their homes. The barrier that had kept them safe was no enemy to the forces of nature that sought to break their spirits. And so barbarians streamed out of Amalgamation like flies escaping the 'Raid'. The race that was filled with proud warriors was experiencing a test in its resolve. Men and women who would have stayed to protect their homes in the past were now wrought with fright as they tried to shield their young from falling buildings and dangerous debris. Mothers flew past cracks on the ground with their children whilst fathers sacrificed their lives to draw their young away from harm. The Barbarian Primogenitor saw it all, but there was little she could do. From her high perch she could see the people scrambling to safety and the warriors struggling to hold the city together, and though she wanted to help them, she could not. She was a Barbarian. And Barbarians were Body Wielders. They had no control over the elements like Elementals and couldn't defy the forces of nature like the Ancients. All they could do was battle like possessed beasts. But things like these were beyond the actions of a beast. These kind of catastrophes required the interference of a god. And she was no god. That had been made painfully clear when Pazuzu showed himself several hundreds of years ago. She wasn't good with damage control either since she was usually the ne causing the damage. Thankfully, her presence wasn't required for such a task.
"There is no need to worry," Barbarian Lord Magma's father appeared next to the Primogenitor as silently as a stalking cobra. The eyes of the Primogenitor almost popped out if their sockets as her power which she had been gathering as a means of defense deflated swiftly.
"How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me?" the Primogenitor asked with a raised brow. She gently lifted her hand and playfully knocked the culprit on the head.
"I shouldn't be able to. Whenever I am able to sneak up on you, it means that you are worried. And I can tell that your worry stems from the actual cause of what is destroying our city, and not the safety of the barbarians themselves." Magma's father was a sound analyst, and he didn't disappoint with his assumption.
"As usual, you are right," the Primogenitor of the Barbarian race had a bitter smile on her face when she spoke. And her eyes traveled back to the location of Amalgamation. It was fairly easy to spot since most of the thundering clouds and dark light was congregated there. And though the entire planet was filled with those elements, they weren't as dense as they were over there.
"You can go. I would keep things in order in your absence," Magma's father offered. Since the First wasn't best at administration or anything related to it, her presence was unnecessary here. Were they under attack, Magma's father would have insisted that she stay. Her power after all, was that of pure destruction. But now her presence could be ignored. Besides. Magma's father knew the main reason behind her concern. When it came to pure destruction, very few could match up to the Barbarian Primogenitor. Even Komfo Anokye had admitted once that without his many means, fighting the First with just his strength would be impossible. He described her as a walking bomb. Yet this walking bomb was spectating – nay, she wasn't even qualified to be a spectator – a fight that was several layers above her current level. Someone like the First would want to see what was happening. And know what exactly was causing the chaos. It couldn't be Pazuzu. If it were to be him, every ancestor from every race would have felt the seal tear and would have taken up arms. So that meant that there were two new threats that were just as dangerous as the Demon God. She needed to be there; she had to be.
"Besides, he can handle everything just fine without my help," Magma's father smiled slightly and said. And though a name wasn't given, the First Primogenitor knew exactly whom it was her junior was referring to.
Down below, a red haired man whose authority remained unblemished even by the several falling stones and fracturing earth sped through the streets and kept the peace. He protected those who needed protecting and crushed the stones that threatened to fall even before they did. Several warriors were gathered around him. And many more joined as he moved around.
"All Nightmares should come with me; everyone below the Nightmare Realm should focus on getting the citizens out of here! Head to the mountains!" the man exclaimed. And his words were heeded. With his instructions and under his leadership the fatalities were minimal and many were able to get out of the city alive.
"You could let him know once in a while that you are proud of his wisdom you know," the First Primogenitor advised upon seeing the gaze of appreciation Magma's father had when he stared at his boy.
"I could," the stolid man nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"But you are never going to, are you," the First Primogenitor sighed.
"Maybe one day I will," Magma's father smiled before slipping into the darkness once more.
"It always creeps me out when he does that," The First Primogenitor shivered exaggeratedly upon witnessing how easily Magma's father was able to blend with the shadows. She didn't dwell on what she didn't understand for long though. Her eyes traveled to the land obscured by the clouds and chaos, and for a brief moment she struggled to make a decision. But once she did, she didn't turn away from it.
"I must find out what is going on. I must know if there is a threat that must be eliminated. Surely the winner wouldn't come out unscathed. That will be my chance." She murmured and dashed out. Like the Phenom she was, she easily exceeded the speed of sound and was out of sight in no time. The roof on which she had watched from a distance was now empty. But its emptiness didn't last for long. For Magma's father returned once she was gone with a jar of rich smelling mead in hand. His eyes were filled with a bit of worry, but ultimately he sighed and succumbed to what had already happened.
"Come back safe Primogenitor," he prayed and silently sipped the mead in peace. It had been long since he indulged in such pleasures of the flesh. But in such tumultuous times, who cared about vices?
The Barbarians weren't the only once experiencing the shock of Mane's battle. The land of the Ancients, the place known as Babylon, wasn't safe either. The land famed for being an impregnable fortress had been impregnated. And several structures collapsed as the earth gave way and the winds exceeded their confines. But they were relatively better off than Intersection. For though most of the Elders were away, the Matriarch was still here. And with her power, much of the damage was contained. But she wasn't alone. There were three Elders with her lending their strengths. For even the Matriarch alone couldn't contain the wrath of gold and godling.
Several seconds trickled past, and many minutes crawled by. And with each minute gone, the burden on the Elders increased. They knew that they wouldn't be able to protect their people for long. A decision had to be made. But before either Elder could bring it up, the Matriarch had already made a decision
"Evacuate Babylon," the Matriarch's voice traveled to every warrior in the city, regardless of where they were. With her command the men and women who were initially just holding on and protecting their city, reverted to protecting their people. And slowly, all Ancients moved out of Babylon.
"We are leaving," the Matriarch ordered the Elders. Each one silently nodded their heads and heeded her words. The Matriarch was the absolute authority among the Ancients. With the exception of Komfo Anokye, the others dared not disobey her commands. And that was why they followed her words without even a single word of protest. They had no right to go against their queen. Soon the leaders of the most powerful race in the World of the Three Great Races were also out of Babylon. Once they were out the city's rate of destruction increased by several folds. And they had to watch as the land they had struggled to erect came apart. Luckily for them, their barrier stood strong so the damage was limited. Their foundation remained, so they could rebuild, but it was going to come at a cost. Not grave, but exorbitant all the same. With an angry scowl the Matriarch smacked her cane on the ground,
"What on earth is happening there?!"
Even from several kilometers away, the remnants of the battle could be felt by those who inhabited the city closest to the site of the action. And many were alarmed, especially those who thought they knew what was going on.