7:55PM
COLONY NO. 4
OLD FACTORY
Jamal beheld the sight all around him – bodies on top of bodies, blood–splattered old machinery as well as the walls and flooring, and his bloody clothes. Though his face seemed void of any emotion, he faced an internal struggle. The lack of remorse or empathy for any of his actions in the past 10 minutes made him sick to his stomach. Some of these dragons were rotten to the core…but there might have been some who weren't actually bad people, just victims of circumstances. Victims whose lives he just ended. In that moment, he fully understood why his family had established a No Killing policy, but he also understood why people like his brother and The Order decided to go against it. The Dragons were monsters…but they could only be destroyed by even bigger monsters.
On the other hand, it seemed like Tarik was having an easier time than him. He walked up to his side after digging through the bodies to find his katana, and it was at that point that they noticed the four Hunters were all on guard, in anticipation for their next move. Tarik took the initiative before any of them tried anything stupid, and instructed them,
“Get out of here, Hunters. We're not your enemies.”
“That voice…they really are just kids?” Daewi thought to himself, noticing the boy’s rather young voice.
“If you don't trust us, we'll leave first. But you guys need to get out of here ASAP, before an even bigger problem shows up,” Tarik informed them as he and Jamal turned around and walked towards a rear exit.
“Hey, wait!”
The boys stopped walking at the sound of Fudo's voice. He knew he wasn't mistaken. Even though he couldn't make out their faces very well, and their attitudes didn't seem to match…the distinct blonde–white hair of the one who spoke was unforgettable. If his intuition was right, then he as well as the boy next to him could only be…
“Both of you…are you…?”
Tarik continued walking, but Jamal hesitated. Even after six years, deep down he couldn't have ignored it…he missed his family, and that hesitation was all Fudo needed to see.
“…is that you…Jamal?”
But it wasn't the right time. This had to wait, and he knew it. Jamal bit his lip and walked forward.
“Hey! Wait a sec–”
“Focus, Hunter! All of you need to get out of here, now!!” Tarik drilled them as he and Jamal ran off through the exit.
“Not yet…big brother,” Jamal thought to himself as he ran, tightly closing his eyes to rid the burning sensation, brought on by his tears.
Fudo chased after them, but by the time he made it through the door, they were gone. They likely used some Transportation technique. He stood there looking into the sky for a moment trying to gather his thoughts, while the three Hunters came to meet him.
“They could've been anyone, Fudo–san,” Daewi informed him.
“True. Besides, the Heads’ sons were born unbalanced, weren't they?” Kyoji pointed out. “No way an unbalanced human would possess that kind of power.”
“…no,” Fudo rejected their assumptions, staring into the night sky.
“…that was Tarik Yamaguchi, and my brother Jamal.”
For a while, he struggled to make one of three decisions: there was the immediate option of pursuing the two boys, which was almost impossible since they were careful not to leave any clean traces of their energy. There was option 2, which would be reporting back to the Grounds; something he hadn't intended on doing in the first place. Then there was the most dangerous option…which involved ignoring the boy’s instruction. Regardless, Fudo possessed the highest rank in the group – he had to make a decision for his comrades’ sakes, as their leader.
“Have you confirmed that they were all eliminated?” he asked them firstly.
“All enemies neutralized, Fudo–san,” Kyoji replied. “Aside from our confirmed kills, those two were using Divine Energy. All the ones they targeted are definitely dead.”
“An even bigger problem, he said…” Fudo consulted in his mind,
“…could it be that kid?”
“Well, whatever the case, Fudo–senpai’s the one in charge now,” Renji pointed out,
“Just say the word…whatever's our next move, let's–”
*WHACK*
*SIZZLE*
*SLUMP*
Renji’s body suddenly dropped straight to the ground…as a flaming foreign object rocketed full speed into his right temple, removing a portion of his head.
“FUDO–SAN –”
Before Kyoji could finish warning his superior, the ground’s composition morphed under his feet, and he was standing above a crater.
“Kyo–!”
*FWOOOSH*
Not even two meters away from Fudo, the tiny volcano erupted a huge pillar of lava, vaporizing Kyoji’s body leaving nothing but bones and a small portion of his torso.
“GET OUT OF HERE, FUDO–KUN!!”
As Daewi said this, he dashed toward the human figure that approached from the darkness, ready to attack, but was swiftly intercepted with a quick upward swipe of a hand, and there came an enormous blazing fire that consumed Daewi’s entire body. Within mere seconds, the strongest members of The Order were taken down…at the hands of none other than the Inferno Gang's Leader, Kallavan.
“It's a shame, really…”
As the Dragon spoke, his body mutated. His skin was covered in thick scales, his nails and teeth grew sharper, tendrils grew from his elbows and the scales on his chest manifested a darker color. His body grew dramatically to a height of 7 feet, horns grew from his temples, and the sclerae of his eyes turned black while the color of his irises intensified. This was Kallavan’s Full Transformation.
“To the very end…you Hunters truly had no idea what you were dealing with…” he finished his statement with a blast of smoke from his nostrils, as he approached the S–Rank Hunter.
Fudo stood his ground. Surrounded by the corpses of those who looked up to him, and now haunted by the memories he had left of them, the guilt rested on his shoulders and sunk into his gut…but he made his mourning into motivation. The iconic dual–wield Flame Daggers sprang into existence from his palms. The all too familiar purple glow illuminated his body, and his hair gently rose. He swallowed down the somber emotions, both from the sight of the Heads’ sons and the deaths of his comrades, until nothing but seething rage remained. With blood in his eyes, and his target in sight, he assumed a stance while solidifying what he stood for with a single statement:
“…I'm going to kill you.”
SOMETIME AFTER THE BRAWL BEGAN
“Hey…what did you just say?...”
Roughly 10 minutes before Fudo faced Kallavan, the rest of the Hunters had made it about 5km away from the chemical plant, when the occupants of Kodaki’s hummer heard Fumi say something completely unexpected. It took about 5 seconds for Ilmar, seated in the passenger seat, to register what she just said before asking her to repeat. Satoru who was next to her, and Akiro in the trunk, also turned their heads with the widest of eyes.
“I said they were Jamal and Tarik…is something wrong?” she repeated and asked, confused by their faces.
“Sensei, we're turning back now!” Ilmar yelled at his captain.
“How did they look?! Tell us!” Satoru demanded, anxious to confirm.
“Huh? Well…Tarik had blondish white–ish hair…” she began to describe, though that much was enough for them.
“Holy shit…” Akiro remarked from the back.
“It's them…Sato, it's them! We have to go back!” Ilmar started spouting as his heart ran a marathon.
Satoru couldn't believe what he was hearing...he didn't even know how to react beyond a surprised look. For years, he longed to finally see his brother again, but he had never once considered what his reaction would be upon seeing him, or hearing news of him. It wasn't like him to react to anything with much expression, but he just might have had a reaction similar to Ilmar’s, hadn't Kodaki responded,
“No, we're heading back to base.”
“HUH? DIDN’T YOU HEAR HER JUST NOW?” Ilmar snapped at his Captain.
“Calm down, Ilmar. I know you're anxious right now, but think about it for a second: Fudo, and the hunters from The Order are battling the Inferno Gang. If all goes well, and Jamal & Tarik are actually there, then those guys will likely end up seeing them. If the four of them go all out, which I wouldn't put it past them to do…not even the Inferno Gang would stand a chance against them,” he explained.
“Besides, your brother’s the one who's doing the most to find those kids, they won't miss his eyes.”
“…he's right, Ilmar.”
“Sato?!” Ilmar turned after hearing him agree.
“Us turning back won't make a difference…for now, let's just be happy they're alive, and within Fudo–san’s vicinity,” Satoru coaxed him.
“…thank God they're alive,” Akiro exhaled a sigh of belief, while Ilmar calmed down and Kodaki radioed Chojo, Miwa, and Steffan.
“The Hunters know Jamal and Tarik?...then, could it be that…!” Fumi thought as she caught the revelation, also recalling Tarik's claim that he and Jamal came from ancient clans. Meanwhile, Nayumi was surprisingly asleep within her grasp, her exhaustion brought on by the time her brain spent inside Nakamura's memories. It was then that Fumi leaned back into the seat, and reflected on everything they'd been through for that week. It felt like an entire year. A small teardrop made its way down her face, as she deeply exhaled and embraced her friend. Finally…they were saved.
“…let's meet again, you two…I hope the Hunters rescue you.”
*BOOM*
*BANG*
*FWOOSH*
*KRRASH*
*SLAM*
The S–Rank Hunter and the Gang Leader were seriously ramping it up, as Fudo dashed all around the chemical plant, trailed by nothing but destruction. Every corner he bent was obliterated shortly thereafter by Kallavan’s barbaric barrage of pyro kinetic attacks. Walls were collapsed, old heavy machinery obliterated – the Dragon launched all attacks unapologetically; not even the very dirt grounds of the complex saw any remorse out of him. Kallavan seemed dead set on rendering the whole area into a wasteland.
“Don't worry, Sanjuro. I'll make certain that this spot of mud’s made into a proper burial ground for you!” he taunted him.
Fudo crashed through the window of another building within the plant, as he was followed by flames that seemed to defy the laws of physics – burning midair and bending corners unnaturally, all while moving at high speeds. No matter where he ran, or what evasive measures he took, the attacks persisted without ceasing.
At that point, he'd decided to exit the building through a window ahead of him. As he neared it, ready to escape and formulate some other strategy…he saw another one of the same attacks, crashing through the window and heading straight towards him. He was caught in between the two high–speed fire beams.
With quick thinking, he immediately jumped and twirled his body midair, like something straight out of a popular film starting with the letter M, sandwiching himself between the beams of fire as they shot past him over and under…but he wasn't safe. In a slow-motion sequence, as he faced upward, another fiery attack had broken through the roof, ready to descend on him.
Flame Control! • 加具土命 (Kagu-tsu-chi)
Instantly, an object materialized just under his feet, and with an additional speed increase from Body Reinforcement, he soared out of the building’s window just as fast as the attack rained down on him, escaping with only a few strands of hair singed off. The object he created with his technique was a hovering surfboard.
As he hovered above the air outside, the attacks subsiding for a moment, he took the time to quickly gather himself.
“What a persistent bastard…he's in a total different league than the Religious Leaders.”
“If I'd underestimated him for a second…I would've died 5 times already…”
At that moment, Kallavan emerged from the shadows, each of his steps producing small clouds of hot ash, as he stared down the hunter levitating about 15 meters above ground. The dragon looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat from the wave of destruction he kicked up, whereas Fudo probably wasn't anywhere above 50 percent efficiency – having not fully recovered from his battle the previous night, in addition to the massacre he'd just taken part in. Regardless, he wasn't making any excuses; this bloody night would end with his opponent’s death, one way or another.
“Guess you really weren't all talk, Hunter,” Kallavan gave him a teensy bit of acknowledgement, as he held out his palm, from which manifested an orb of fire.
“I can see how someone like you managed to bring down the Sect Leaders...but, that’s about as far as you’ll get, murderer.”
“Is that right, Dragon?...and what say you?” he asked in response, appalled that this Dragon just called him a murderer.
“What, that’s your best counteraction? Not even an attempt to defend yourself?...well, it just shows how pathetic you hunters really are.”
“The hell are you blabbering on about?” Fudo asked, irritated.
“You hunters are nothing but a joke...” Kallavan started to speak. “Centuries ago, the Dragon–Tails had a vision...a spectacular epiphany that allowed Hellam Ryujin to take the first step toward revolutionizing the Sorcery world...but, you Ancient Clans were cowards, opting to leave customs and practices as is, and waging war against the Dragons in the name of justice. You all convinced the world to brand us as murderers, devil worshipers, bloodsucking demons who sought after the destruction of mankind.”
“Hmph... your ancestors have been killing Dragons from the very beginning, and you haven’t hesitated to follow after their footsteps...do you seriously think you Hunters are any better than us Dragons? Justice? Don’t make me laugh.”
*WHISTLE*
The time that he’d spent speaking gave Fudo enough time to prepare a less charged version of the Flame Control Bullet. He launched it toward the Dragon, who intercepted with the fireball he was still charging. As the Flame Bullet dug into Kallavan’s orb, there was a sudden flash – the orb imploded, dissipating Fudo’s attack, while launching high–speed fiery projectiles all directed towards Fudo’s position. These were different from the earlier honing attacks; in fact, upon close inspection, they looked like tiny fiery black minions with wings, producing high–pitched screeches.
“Just like last time, huh?” Fudo thought as he recalled his encounter with Arata’s demon bats.
Except, these creatures seemed all the more ferocious. The tiny organisms attacked in swarms at a time; they would surround every part of Fudo’s body like tiny hula–hoops, flapping their flaming wings intensely to burn them even brighter, and screeching even louder, until –
*GLINT*
*BOOOOM*
They all simultaneously combusted with a giant explosion, triggered by Kallavan who stood a few feet away, at the snap of his fingers.
“...you’re sturdy, aren’t you?”
Once the smoke cleared, it was revealed to Kallavan that Fudo tanked the attack completely. He stood guarding his head with his arms, breathing very heavily, and his sweater almost completely burnt off. He also received a number of burn scars from that attack.
“Goddamn it...to think I’d used External Reinforcement and I still took this much damage...” Fudo thought as he watched parts of his skin burn off.
“I know I wasn’t at full strength to begin with...but this guy’s in a totally different league than the Cult Leaders!...”
It was at this point that Fudo noticed some of the insects were still latched on to parts of his body, seemingly doing nothing.
“Those are called Magatama Leeches, hunter,” Kallavan informed him,
“They’re insignificant on their own, but a pain in the ass when they swarm you. At my command, they’ll simultaneously combust, just like that.”
“And, when they’re clumped up on your person like that...”
As he was saying this, Fudo immediately rushed in to attack him, seemingly attempting to manifest a Flame Control weapon...but nothing was materializing.
?!!
“...I can subdue Flame users like yourself.”
*WHACK*
Taking advantage of his confusion, Kallavan socked him in the face with his flaming fist, sending his body flying right through a building.
“Agh!!”
Fudo slowly gathered his bearings, surprised that his head was still intact as he coughed up blood. He also received another fresh burn scar on the side of his face.
*ptoo*
“Not yet, Fudo...not until you–”
As he spat out a bit of blood while willing his body to move, he stared at a broken window for a moment...
*...sigh*
Immediately, he jumped from his position as another barrage of honing flame attacks destroyed the area, all targeting him. He ran into many close calls as he evaded all around the complex again, but he wasn’t giving in. He was running out of ideas, severely injured, all while he was still being taunted by the dragon’s words:
“Your ideals, your moral compass, your sense of justice...no matter how desperately you and your family try to use those things to degrade the Dragons, they’re all nothing but pathetic delusions that the Ancient Clans cultured themselves to believe in and abide by!”
At the same time, as Fudo guided himself to a rooftop, he was greeted by a clothesline swing from Kallavan, launching him about two building tops away, followed by a barrage of concrete–crumbling melee attacks which he had to roll across the floor to avoid.
“But, let me tell you something, Hunter – the fantasy world that you clans tried so obnoxiously to create for yourselves...”
“...not even the blind could dream of that vision coming to life!!”
As he ended with that statement, he grabbed Fudo by his face, and dug his body right through that building from the roof to the ground floor, collapsing the entire structure.
As the dust clouds gradually faded away, Kallavan was still knelt over Fudo’s lifeless body, surrounded by rubble of concrete and glass...it was over.
As the gang leader stood and slowly walked away from the body, taking a moment to behold the destruction their battle wrought all around, as well as the main building a few meters away that was yet filled with the bodies of his underlings...he exhaled a sigh.
“Who am I kidding...there was no winner tonight,” he thought as he remembered Madoka and Jegal, his strongest soldiers...and friends.
He lifted a flaming fist to the full moon, and muttered to himself,
“But, as for the war...”
*STEP*
?!!
The dragon forgot what he was even saying...as he turned around to see a bloody corpse standing behind him.
“What...the hell are you?...”
*HUFF, HUFF*
“Not...yet...”
As the Hunter staggered to his feet, under heavy blood loss and probably a few bone fractures, he knew his time was running out. As excruciatingly painful as his injuries were...the very fact that he was still suffering from that pain meant he wasn’t dead. And if he wasn’t dead, then his mission wasn’t over.
*chuckle*
“A Sanjuro...huh, dad?...”
He somehow found the strength to have a little laugh about something in that moment. A conversation he had with his father Gado, when he was still a kid...
27 YEARS AGO
“Hey, dad...what does Sanjuro mean?”
Inside the Sanjuro mansion, a young boy walked up to the balcony of the Sanjuro Mansion, where he saw a man relaxing on his reclining chair, under the cool shade of some overhead blinds, while he was reading through a newspaper. The man was Gado Sanjuro, and the boy was his 5–year–old son, Fudo Sanjuro.
“Hm?...I never told you before?” the man asked in response.
“Nope,” the boy responded.
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“I told you that’s part of your name – Fudo Sanjuro,” Gado reminded him.
“Yeah, but I was asking what does it mean,” he clarified,
“You told me that our first names are all unique, but because we’re family, we share the same last name...but, you also told me that our family is related to the Yamaguchi Clan. If we’re both related, why are their last names different? What’s the difference between Sanjuro and Yamaguchi?” the boy explained his confusion.
“Ah, I see... that’s what you meant,” Gado responded, understanding him.
“Well, it’s true that both our clans are from one family, so we really are related. But, the reason we share different surnames is to distinguish who we are.”
“Who we are?...” Fudo asked as he sat on the chair next to his father.
“That’s right, Fudo,” Gado continued to speak as he put aside his paper,
“Take me and Tenchi–sama for example; Tenchi–kun is the personification of the entire Yamaguchi clan. He’s levelheaded, intelligent, cool and collected, wise as a serpent, and above all, intelligent.”
“You said intelligent twice.”
“Yeah, yeah, pipe down kid.”
“But, the bottom line is that he’s a total genius who excels in every department...much like the majority of the Yamaguchi clan,” he continued.
“Then, on the flip side of the coin, you’ve got your dad. A rowdy, energetic, charismatic, loudmouthed, reckless buffoon who managed to become Clan Leader.”
“When you put it that way...”
“However,” he cut him off, “I don’t want you to pay attention to the differences between Tenchi and I, even though I named them out for you. I want you to notice what we have in common.”
“In common?” the boy asked, flabbergasted. “Nothing at all! You’re way different from Tenchi–san!”
“Nope...don’t you see? We both remain true to who we are.”
The boy was left without words, and listened to his father elaborate some more,
“Being a genius is a Yamaguchi’s natural born talent – it comes to them effortlessly, meaning Tenchi–kun is simply being himself. Being brazen and taking things to the extreme is a Sanjuro’s natural instinct, meaning I’m just being myself too. Neither of us are going out of our way to act like people we aren’t – we’re simply the ultimate embodiments of our personas, standing as representatives of our entire clans.”
As he placed his fist against his son’s chest, his final words were:
“Fudo...to be a Sanjuro means to be yourself. Never be intimidated by whatever seems like the norm or what others would prefer to see from you...no matter where you go, or what you do, never forget that you’re...”
PRESENT
“Yeah...I don’t give a shit...not about what my ancestors believed in...not about what you think of us...”
For one final time...Fudo’s hair gently rose up, and the purple glint reappeared in his eyes, as his purple flames reignited to burn the tiny organisms that had been restricting his powers.
“What the?! He’s burning the Magatama Leeches that are restricting his Flame Magic? How??” Kallavan started losing his mind as the flames focused in Fudo’s clenched right fist, indicating an incoming attack.
“I won’t stop killing Dragons...for the people who've entrusted in me...for Jamal & Tarik!...”
“SOUL–BARRIE –”
Before Kallavan could even activate his ultimate technique, Fudo moved so fast that he seemed to glitch out of existence, and reappeared right in front of the dragon with his fist rushing towards his face:
“BECAUSE I’M FUDO SANJURO!!”
*BZZZT*
*KRRAAAK*
*KABOOOM*
With a reminiscent flash of red lightning, Fudo planted his fist into Kallavan’s face, and the sheer force of that attack sent the dragon flying at least half a kilometer away, crashing through every concrete structure in sight. The attack also left a crater on the ground below the point of origin, sparks of red lightning flashing around both it and Fudo’s body for a few seconds. Needless to say, the hunter collapsed right after that attack, but not before smiling as his entire life flashed before his eyes...Fudo fell unconscious.
Half a kilometer away from him, Kallavan’s body was slumped against the fence of the complex. If he could still move, then it definitely wouldn’t be anytime soon – his body was completely numb, and his jaw was indented. If not for his body armor that formed along with Full Transformation, his jaw might have been missing after that.
“So...that’s what that attack feels like...” he struggled to mutter out of his aching mouth.
It was at that point that he felt...something. Mustering as much strength as he possibly could, he turned to his side to see a figure standing next to him.
“...who are...”
?!!!
Suddenly, his body started to change. The armor from his transformation started to fall right off his body, even though they were supposed to be actual parts of his body. The physical changes to his body began to revert, and above all, his energy levels were decreasing rapidly. Once again, he looked in the figure’s direction to behold a horrific sight...a hand extended, and a growing sphere of red energy hovering just above it. The person was stealing away Kallavan’s Dragon Energy...or rather, repossessing it.
“It’s a shame...” the person spoke,
“To the very end...you truly had no idea who you were dealing with, Kallavan.”
DAEWI SANJURO
AGE: 28 (DOB: June 20, 1989)
HEIGHT: 5'11"
HAIR TYPE: Black; Short, Straight
OCCUPATION: A-Rank Hunter
STATUS: Deceased
