Act 1: Rebirth
PROLOGUE
JULY 5, 2019
*gasping, wheezing, panting*
“Just…who the hell are you?”
There was dead silence, although the arena was full. The fighting ground was absolutely devastated, as if a death battle between King Kong and his own clone had taken place...although, the men in question would undoubtedly be much more powerful. In the midst of the arena stood the two elites, one being the Sanjuro Clan Head, and the other...a complete nobody...or so we thought. Everybody knew Lord Gadō as the strongest martial artist in existence...until this guy appeared. We thought he’d been dead or something…
As Gadō laid on the ground, he looked up at his opponent; the blazing sunlight inhibiting his vision, so that only the young warrior’s silhouette was seen. In the background, upon one of the Torii Gates, sat another young individual, chuckling as he beheld the glorious battle. As the fighter responded to Lord Gadō, his Red right eye glistened amid his silhouette:
“I...no, we...are the strongest in the world.”
“...Father.”
ABANDONED WAREHOUSE, 6:00PM
FEBRUARY 11, 2002
“Oi, you’re releasing too much power. Turn it down a notch, would ya?”
Energies flaring, powers clashing, this was a regular occurrence at the hideout of the Dragon-Tails; a form of cult that endorses the exercise of forbidden Majutsu, formed centuries ago by Hellam Ryūjin, the greatest sorcerer in existence.
It is said that he wielded the powers of 9 Ancient Dragons and distributed them among his fellow 8 Leaders, who in turn could bestow small portions to all their followers. With such power, the Dragons asserted dominance over all others, and established themselves at the very top of the food chain, that is, until those Two Warriors put the Leaders in place. Since then, the Dragons have maintained a rather low profile, concealing their true intentions. To this day, all Dragons are capable of drawing on their special power. In this hideout, they spar with each other, testing out and honing their abilities.
“Damn it, these youngsters...I’m getting way too old for this.”
“Gyuwhan, you’ll be in charge of these knuckleheads after me.”
Ivan Ryūjin, the current Leader of the Dragons, spoke to his infant son, Gyuwhan. Ivan was very old, well over 100 years, being able to extend his lifespan through the power of the Dragon he had, passed down from his great aunt.
The young lad looked intently at the sparring Dragons, and looked back at his father:
“Why me, old man?”
“Because, half-wit, I don’t have much longer to live. I’ll be entrusting everything to you, my son.”
Gyuwhan was only 3 years old, but he was an unusually smart and understanding child. The more he learned from his elder father, and the more attention he paid to his fellow Dragons, the more mature he became.
But...Gyuwhan was easily bored.
“That’s right...watch closely, all that I’m exposing you to right now. You will fulfil your great granddad’s wishes, Gyu.”
“You will…revive the 9 Dragons.”
Gyuwhan wasn’t amused in the slightest.
“......lame.”
“I’ll scold you, damn brat.”
CITY DISTRICT, 9:00PM
*cars passing, city sounds*
*persons running*
“GO, MOVE IT!”
A chase ensued in the city at night, 3 individuals outrunning two young boys; the 3 were Dragons of the Orochi Gang, a group of delinquent Dragons who stray from their kin’s main purpose and, more or less, do what they want.
As the two boys pursued them, one followed directly, and the other followed from above, upon the rooftops. As the leader of the Trio saw that they were surrounded, he changed plans:
“Shit, into this alleyway! You two, shake that guy!”
“Yeah!”
River of Snakes! · 蛇の川 (He-bi no Ka-wa)
As they turned into the alley, two of the Dragons performed a secret technique; focusing their energies, a slow-motion sequence followed, showing that their footsteps began producing multitudes of Serpents, all targeted at the boy in direct pursuit.
“Hmph.”
Gadō-Style: Flame Control! · 加具土命 (Kagu-tsu-chi)
Focusing his energy to his feet, they were engulfed in a purple flame, and the young man performed a sliding dash right through the horde of snakes, consuming them all with his flames. The Leader saw this, and was amazed, but not quite shocked; he knew how capable the boy was.
“I figured as much, of all the people...these guys really don’t play. We have to escape! Run idiots!”
The three Dragons were quite fast themselves; they were slowly outrunning their pursuers.
As he pursued behind, Fūdo conversed with his ally using ear-phones:
“Damn, these reptilian fucks sure are fast. That earlier move slowed me down a little. Where the hell is Captain Emir?”
“PFFFFFT- HA! ‘Reptilian-’ OH HOLY SHIT!” his friend yelled.
“What the hell are you doing Kakkun? Can you actually take this seriously?”
“Shut up Fūdo! Because of your horrible joke I almost fell off a fucking rooftop.”
“Whatever dumbass, just focus and continue luring these guys. Once they’ve reached the spot, it’s finished.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
As the Dragons fled, the leader began to assess their situation:
“Hmph, no need for us to worry.”
“Katashi and Fūdo Sanjuro...a young but dangerous duo. However, they’re Sanjuros after all; Spirit Energy isn’t their forte, meaning their sensory capabilities, et cetera, are more or less crap.”
“We’re quite fast ourselves, and we can hide our presence. Very soon, these guys will lose sight of-”
Immediately after they made a certain corner in the alley, the leader was cut off mid-sentence as he came to a sudden halt:
“STOP! Don’t take a single step further!”
“Huh? What are you saying? If we stop, they’ll catch up!”
“Listen. The area in front of us is highly condensed with spiritual energy; it’s the Soul-Barrier Technique. Stepping inside that thing isn’t the brightest of ideas, no matter who the user is.”
He then continued assessing the situation:
“These guys are currently chasing us, there’s no way they would’ve had the time to put up this barrier. Which means...”
As he was in thought, he looked up to see a silhouette emerging from atop the rooftops.
“A third, huh? And he must be a Yamaguchi too, it’s their technique.”
“But, maintaining a Soul-Barrier takes a crap-ton of focus. Why did he create it before we got here? Did he think we couldn’t sense it?”
“Either way, you’re a fool. I’ll get rid of you right n-”
His heart felt like it had stopped when he was able to make out his opponent’s face.
“W-WAIT A MINUTE! That face...!”
“...EMIR YAMAGUCHI?!”
With a grin, and a snap of his fingers, Emir’s energy flared up through the entire alleyway, like dozens of lights turning on all at once with a single flip of a switch. When the Dragons felt it, they immediately fell to their knees; gasping for air and coughing up blood. It felt like every one of their organs were being strangled.
“Damn it...seriously? I’ve heard about him, but…this guy’s a fucking monster! We weren’t even inside the Barrier!...”
“Yeahh about that...you were. The entire time.”
As he did a short victory flex, Fūdo and Katashi emerged on a nearby rooftop, having exited the alleys before Emir engaged his technique.
“Oi, good work you two.”
“Yo, Captain!”
While they talked about the crime committed, and what kind of Dragons they were, the Leader laid on the ground in utter confusion:
“how the hell does he know what I’m thinking?”
Emir then remembered what he was saying.
“You’re probably thinking you didn’t enter the Barrier, right? Yeah, I’m saying you did.”
“How?...I’m 100% sure we stopped right before entering the energy zone.”
“Yes, you didn’t enter that zone, but you entered my Barrier the moment you set foot in this giant maze of an alleyway. I simply gathered all my energy over to one area within the Barrier. Once I had you right where I wanted you, I spread my energy out again.”
The leader was astonished to hear that Emir could create a Soul Barrier of this scale; it was an entire apartment complex.
“B-But, if this whole area was a Barrier, what about the residents of these apartments?”
“Huh? Obviously it’s not, only the alleyways are affected.”
“THAT’S EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS. HOW?”
As backup later arrived to escort the Dragons to lockup, Emir communed with his two subordinates.
“Well, that’s another mission accomplished. Good work once more, Fūdo, Katashi. But, you guys should really work on your synergy.”
“Sorry Captain, Kakkun’s retarded.”
“Your jokes are cancerous.”
“Your mum.”
“On my dick.”
“...wait what?”
*facepalms*
“Anyway, I believe we should be heading back home now, Fūdo.”
“Hm? Me and you Captain?”
“what about me?”
“Miri-sama and Yura-sama both went into their labour pains a few hours ago.”
“Hehe, soon you’ll have a younger sibling, and I’ll have another little nephew.”
Fudo began to recall. His mother, Lady Miri, the wife of the Sanjuro Family Head, had been pregnant. At the same moment, the wife of the Yamaguchi Family Head, Lady Yura, was also pregnant. They both went into labour on the same night.
what are the odds of that?
“Well, let’s all hurry back then!”
“It’s alright, the two of you go on, I’ll catch up in a bit.”
SANJURO/YAMAGUCHI FAMILY GROUNDS
MEDICAL WARD, 10:30PM
*babies crying*
“Finally...I get to meet you...you’re so adorable.”
“Congratulations, Miri-sama!”
Lady Miri laid in her hospital bed, embracing her beautiful newborn son. Her nurse looked on with nothing but joy for her Mistress.
“Yura-sama gave birth a few minutes earlier. Two beautiful baby boys were born on this night.”
“I see.”
As Miri kissed her son on the forehead, she blessed him saying,
“...I hope you’ll grow to be as strong as your father, my precious one.”
“Haha, I’m really happy, Tenchi. Aren’t you?”
“Of course I am, my child was just born.”
“That face could fool anyone, man.”
“You know me, Gadō.”
In the private waiting room sat the two jovial Family Heads, Gadō Sanjuro and Tenchi Yamaguchi. Gadō was a rather big individual, having a very muscular body, but he always had a joyous look on his face. Tenchi could be considered as Gadō’s complete opposite; he was a bit taller, with a slender build. He also tended to look more serious most of the time, but he was a really laid-back individual.
As they talked, a nurse came into the room to bring news to them:
“Excuse me, Lords Tenchi and Gadō. I have something important to share with you.”
“It’s...regarding your newborn sons.”
OUTSIDE THE MEDICAL WARD
“Looks like we’ve made it in time, Kakkun.”
“Yeah, there’s so many people waiting out here.”
“Hey, big bro!!”
“Over here!”
“You two sure took your sweet-ass time. Glad you could make it.”
As the two arrived at the hospital, there met them a small crowd of clan members, awaiting the Heads and Mistresses to exit. Among them were Fūdo and Katashi’s friends, as well as Fūdo’s young twin siblings, Gina and Ilmar. The friends exchanged greetings with each other.
“Yeah, our mission took a little more effort. Anyway, have we heard anything?”
“Yeah, they’re both boys apparently. We haven’t heard their names yet. The Heads should be coming out soon.”
“Look, it’s them!”
The doors opened, and out came the Family Heads, taking their wives in wheelchairs, with their sons asleep in their arms. Those of the Sanjuro Clan gathered on the left, where Gadō and Miri were, and the Yamaguchi Clan on the right where Tenchi and Yura were. Both members began to cheer on and congratulate their Masters and Mistresses:
“WOOOO!! CONGRATS GADŌ-SAMA, MIRI-SAMA!!”
“CONGRATULATIONS, TENCHI-SAMA! YURA-SAMA!”
The Sanjuros were more carefree and expressive, and the Yamaguchis maintained an orderly demeanor.
The Heads walked with a rather serious look, however. But as they walked, Gadō reassured Tenchi of something:
“Don’t worry, Tenchi. Everything will be alright.”
“I hope so.”
As Gadō was passing his children, Fūdo and the twins, he instructed them,
“Let’s go.”
While he walked along, Fūdo and his friends were confused.
“Hm? What’s that about?”
“Dunno...but, I’ll be there in a little bit. Gina, Ilmar, you two follow Mom and Dad.”
“Okayy!” the twins said in unison as they followed their parents.
Tenchi was also passing by his infant son, Satoru, stopping to say to him,
“Come, Sato. We need to talk when we get home.”
“Ok, Father.”
Katashi and Fudo continued to joke around with their friends for a while, discussing who was stronger between the two, and Katashi’s earlier roof blunder. When they were finally out of topics, they agreed to head to their homes. As Fūdo was walking away, however, he said something rather interesting to the group:
“By the way guys, don’t misunderstand...”
“...I’m not the main character.”
*wink*
They all looked at him in confusion.
“...the fuck?”
“what is he saying?”
“i think your stupidity is rubbing off on him, Katashi.”
“oh fuck off.”
“You’re still up, old man?”
Back at the abandoned warehouse, Ivan was looking through some old scrolls as his son Gyuwhan came to him.
“It’s late, Gyu. Aren’t you tired?”
“I woke up and I saw lights, so I came in here.”
“I see...well, I’m just going through your great grandfather’s memos. He kept a decent record of his magic spells, stories about himself, and-”
Gyuwhan was already walking away.
“Nevermind, I’m bored already. good night Gramps.”
“are you seriously 3 years old?”
*sigh*
“...hm?”
As Ivan was reading, he felt a slight shift in the entire atmosphere, such that even one of the lit candles suddenly went out. Goosebumps rose up all over his body as he looked around in
suspicion...
“...heh.”
“Gyu...you might not be the most enthusiastic kid…but you’ll have the time of your life when you get older.”
Ivan’s body suddenly began to undergo a change; as a blood-red aura rose up from his body, his skin darkened, and manifested scales all over. Horns were outstretched from his temples, his hair grew longer and spikier, and his teeth grew sharper. Finally, he let out a blast of smoke from his nostrils, and chucked, saying:
“...something big is about to happen.”
And then they asked me...what madman introduces the main villain but not the main protagonist in Chapter 1?
FUDO SANJURO · サンヂュロ フウド
AGE: 16 (DOB: Jan 6, 1986)
HEIGHT: 5'7"
BODY: Decently Chiseled
HAIR TYPE: Black; Medium-Length, Messy
PREFERRED CLOTHING: Dark; Hood Jackets, Long Pants, Track Shoes.
Fudo is the firstborn son of Family Head Gadō Sanjuro. He started training to become a Martial Artist at the age of 6, and is widely known alongside Katashi Sanjuro to be one of the strongest members of the Family, despite not even reaching adulthood. Being a Sanjuro, he enjoys the thrill of combat, but tends to stick to strategy and not go overboard unnecessarily.
KATASHI SANJURO · サンヂュロ カタシ
AGE: 16 (DOB: Mar 19, 1985)
HEIGHT: 5'8"
BODY: Decently Chiseled
HAIR TYPE: Black; Short, Messy, Trimmed Sides
PREFERRED CLOTHING: Light; Long Sleeves, Basketball Shorts, Sneakers.
Katashi is Fūdo's long time childhood friend. As far as they can remember, they've been sparring together and have been there for each other in both good and bad times. Fūdo personally refers to him with the name "Kakkun". He tends to be a bit of a blockhead, but he is energetic, caring, and highly capable in combat, being on equal footing with Fūdo.
EMIR YAMAGUCHI · ヤマグチ エミル
AGE: 19 (DOB: Nov 11, 1982)
HEIGHT: 5'11"
BODY: Slim Muscular Build
HAIR TYPE: Black; Medium-Length, Straight
PREFERRED CLOTHING: Dark; Dark Round Glasses, Long-Sleeved Tops, Sweatpants, Socks & Slides.
Emir is the younger brother of Family Head Tenchi Yamaguchi. He is a tad bit more of a carefree individual than his brother, but he is just as skilled; being the only other person in the Family able to perform some of the most advanced Majutsu Techniques. He is a highly capable individual among both Families, and one feared by most Dragons; he is the Head Captain of the Hunters, and is the Yamaguchi Clan's Second-in-Command.
