Emperor of Time : The Battle of The Gods

It was already nine o'clock at night, time for dinner in Egypt. The streets of Al-Qusayr1 were quiet. With around 10,000 inhabitants, the city is small, its port even smaller—a hub for local fishing and trade. Tourists rarely come here. The Red Sea's edge keeps it isolated.

Owls perched silently while watching rats scurrying below. The rats squeaked and fought over fish scraps near the port. A few people lingered nearby. Some walked along the water's edge with soft footsteps. Others were playing cards with loud voices in front of the port warehouses. The fishermen had left hours ago.

Then, something changed.

About a kilometer from the port, a black dot appeared in the sky. It floated two kilometers up, motionless at first. Slowly, it grew. The dot became a circle and swirled with shades of black and gray. It expanded steadily.

The animals noticed first. The rats froze, then scattered. The owls took flight in fright. No creature dared stay near the port.

The people, though, were unaware. They laughed, talked, played cards. The circle grew wider, now a kilometer across, its edges rippling like smoke.

Then, one man looked up.

His cards slipped from his hands. He pointed at the sky and shouted. "Look! Look! What is that?"

His friends and passersby stopped in their tracks, their eyes drawn to the card player who was pointing at something in the distance. They turned, curious, and froze. A massive circle loomed in the sky.

The circle rapidly grew larger. In just moments, it reached a kilometer in width. The surface of the circle buzzed with a low, eerie hum. It wasn't just a sound, but a vibrating sensation that made the air tremble. The hum grew louder and sharper, resembling the chaotic buzz of countless wings.

Dark shapes rose from the circle, standing out against the sky. They moved smoothly, but strangely, becoming clearer as they came down. They were huge bugs. Flies whose wings shone like metal. Praying mantises with arms like curved blades. Even from far away, you could tell exactly what they were.

The crowd stood paralyzed, their breaths caught in their throats. No one moved. No one spoke.

Then, from the harbor, came the scraping of chitin against stone. Giant scarab beetles, their shells glistening wetly, crawled up from the water. Their legs clicked against the ground eerily.

That's when the panic hit.

"Help!"

"Monster! Monster!"

"Run!!!"

The giant beetles surged across the ground, their armored bodies moving with terrifying speed. Flies and mantises swarmed the air, their wings buzzing like a storm as they descended toward the city.

One scarab beetle closed in on a man struggling to run, his limp slowing him down. The beetle's front legs stabbed into his back, piercing his chest. The man gasped, blood bubbling in his throat.

"Aaarghhh! H-Help me!"

His voice choked. The beetle's jaws clamped down, severing his head in one brutal motion. The head rolled across the pavement, leaving a trail of crimson. The metallic tang of blood filled the air.

People nearby froze for a split second, then erupted into chaos. Some screamed, others ran blindly. Those inside buildings slammed doors and windows shut, their faces pale as they peered through cracks.

Outside, the streets became a frenzy. Cars revved, only to be blocked by the flood of bodies. Drivers abandoned their vehicles, joining the stampede.

The beetles advanced, their massive bodies crushing everything in their path. Buildings crumbled. Streetlights snapped like twigs. Parked trucks were tossed aside like toys. Those too slow to escape were caught, and their screams were cut short. Debris and broken bodies littered the streets.

The air grew thick with the stench of blood and rotting fish from a nearby market. The mantises snatched people mid-run, their spiked forelegs impaling their prey. They feasted without pause.

Then, the sound of sirens cut through the chaos. The police cars arrived in a rush and screeching to a halt. Officers jumped out with their guns drawn. They moved fast, shouting orders to each other. Their faces were tight with fear.

Bullets tore through the flies and mantises, sending their bodies crashing to the ground. The officers fired again and again.

But the scarab beetles were unstoppable. Their hard shells deflected every shot. The officers' guns clicked empty.

Outmatched, they turned and ran, but it was too late. The beetles were faster, and the officers became prey, just like the others.

In less than half an hour, the city of Al-Qusayr was gone. The giant insects swarmed in like a storm, tearing through everything in their path. Buildings crumbled. Streets turned to dust. Almost everyone died. The air was thick with screams, but they didn't last long. The insects moved fast. Too fast.

When the destruction was complete, the insects stopped. As if on command, they turned—all at once. Their massive bodies shifted in unison with a terrifying display of precision. They moved back toward the sea, where a large circle still hung in the sky. It glowed faintly, and below it, a giant fly floated. It was four times bigger than the others, and its wings buzzed faintly.

This was their leader—the one who called them back.

The insects obeyed without hesitation. They flew into the circle, one after another. The scarab beetles didn't hesitate either. They dove straight into the sea and disappear beneath the dark waves. The circle began to shrink. Slowly at first, then faster. Until only the giant fly remained, it hovered there, watching. Waiting.

Then, the giant fly1 changed. Its body twisted and shifted, its wings retracted, and its legs shrank. In moments, it was no longer a fly—it was a human.

Then the human figure which was floating in the air, wrapped in black smoke. And then, just like that, it was gone. Vanished.

Silence fell. The kind of silence that makes your ears ring and feels like it will last forever. But it didn't. A sound broke through. Faint at first, then louder. A baby crying. Somewhere in the ruins.