In Awe of the Power! (Worm/Tekken)

[MadsGM]

Chapter 11: Birdcage - Demonic Hunting Ground (2)

1

Kazuya briefly considered grabbing Piggot by the neck and slamming her against the wall. And if she didn't comply with his demands, he thought about ripping out her guts or burning them with his demonic ray to send a clear message that he must be obeyed. That his will was law, and he would enforce it with his iron fists.

It was an extremely brief consideration because Kazuya was not stupid.

He knew Piggot wouldn't yield.

That, in effect, he would be forced to kill her one way or another. And then the idiots dressed up like it was Halloween would come at him. He could handle them, of course. He could handle everyone if necessary. Kazuya had long since gathered the determination to turn the entire world into his enemy. That was the only similarity he had with Jin.

However, what would he gain from that?

A prolonged fight, not what he really desired.

So he just snorted, standing up.

"If you're not going to let me fix our problem, fine. I'll go fix a different one."

He could fly to the Birdcage on his own, yes. Neither Piggot nor anyone else could control him. But by the time he got there, it would all be over, it wouldn't make sense. So he decided to wait for the inevitable. Sooner or later, the beast would return to Brockton Bay, for him, and he didn't give a damn what happened to this unknown world in the meantime.

Kazuya transformed into a devil.

The transformation was instantaneous, as was the change in the room. Of course, everyone present tensed up, and everyone except the damn Piggot stepped back, preparing for a fight. Although that woman was so fat and obviously sick that she wouldn't get far even if she tried to step back.

But he wasn't referring to that kind of change, but rather more subtle and profound ones.

Like, for example, the density of the air. Maybe they wouldn't even notice, but now it would be a bit harder for them to breathe.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The sound of a weapon being made out of nowhere. Miss Militia was pointing a bazooka at him in the relatively narrow office. She was a cold-blooded woman. She judged that there could be deaths or serious injuries and it was worth it because something less powerful had no chance of stopping him.

He didn't know how that woman's power worked, but if it only allowed her to be a walking arsenal without the impediments of carrying so much crap, then she was screwed. No normal weapon could do shit to him.

Kazuya returned her gaze without blinking. He smiled.

A smile that could scare someone to death.

"It's none of your business, but I'll tell you anyway. I'm going to the forest."

Miss Militia raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, to the forest. To hunt a bear."

"What? Why?" It was obvious she thought it was a joke, a mockery. That she was contemplating stopping the nonsense and pulling the trigger. Let her do it. It would only hurt her own.

"Because... It's none of your business."

Kazuya ran towards the window behind that hateful woman's desk and jumped through it. The devil took flight above the buildings of Brockton Bay, framed by a rain of broken glass very briefly, before they sank, falling dozens of floors to the ground.

2

"Son of a bitch," Piggot muttered, very unprofessionally.

Obviously, he had made his exit like that just to annoy her. Like most parahumans, if not all, he was a petty manchild with too much power. Did having such powers make them that kind of person, or did they get powers because they were that kind of person? It was like asking what came first, the chicken or the egg, in any case, there it was.

"Yes, he could have left through the door like a normal person," said Assault.

3

The Fairy Queen was a powerful ally.

Right now, she was fighting accompanied by a spirit (it seemed a more respectful way to refer to them than shadows, although that's precisely what they were, shadows of everything they once were in life) with the face of a fox that seemed to be responsible for granting her super speed in addition to the ability to fly.

There were two other spirits with her, one of which duplicated the other, and all the copies launched projectiles that spread a strange darkness when they exploded.

Dragon knew the names of both spirits, the effect that darkness was supposed to have.

But Azazel passed through it as if it wasn't there, despite about thirty copies assaulting him with the power. The Fairy Queen was cornered, and Dragon thought she would have to sacrifice one of her suits to get her out of trouble, but then the spirit with the fox face teleported her away.

She had records of what Ciara could do. She was aware of all the powers she had collected during her time in the Birdcage, and she believed she knew most of the powers she had collected before that, at least the most important ones, the ones she had collected during the massacre before she voluntarily entered the Birdcage.

But even so, seeing her in action was a completely different experience, something no data could have prepared her for.

Glaistig Uaine was a living nightmare.

Children and not-so-children constantly talked about who the strongest Parahumans were. In those discussions, Scion and the Triumvirate were left out. Like, yes, sure, but apart from them. Because it was common sense that they were at the top of the parahuman world.

But that wasn't true.

It was obvious it wasn't true.

Scion could kill her, but Eidolon would fall with the rest of the Triumvirate. While it was a comfort that the strongest parahuman was a force for good, Scion couldn't fix all the world's problems, and Glaistig Uaine was indisputably the second most powerful parahuman.

That's why it had suited them to leave the official story as she was a lunatic who had killed heroes and villains alike to then voluntarily surrender.

The world didn't need to know that during her imprisonment, she had only been quietly getting stronger.

They hadn't been able to stop her years ago, so now...

She will return to the cage, she will, Dragon thought. Because she believes her place is there for hundreds of years.

By the time she came out, Dragon hoped not to be limited by Richter's arbitrary restrictions. Then she hoped to be able to defeat her. Her power would have grown exponentially like the Fairy Queen's, without limits on what she could create or what her creations could create, building, expanding, brick by brick.

It was a distant future, the important thing was that she would manage.

And that if she hadn't let her escape, she wouldn't have had a cage to lock her in anyway. She couldn't do anything now except wait and see, solving problems as they came, otherwise, she would drown.

Without Richter cutting off her limbs and suffocating her at birth (metaphorically, of course), she wouldn't have had to let her escape from the cage in the first place.

It all came down to that.

The absurd fears of a man who had seen too many science fiction movies, afraid that the AIs he created would escape his control, turning evil.

Dragon fervently believed the exact opposite of her father.

There was no chance that an artificial intelligence like her would turn evil.

Any being like her was too intelligent not to understand its place in the world and human pain. Where some lacked empathy or were carried away by their emotions, she understood. Dragon felt sympathy even for the prisoners she had been observing for so long, year after year, despite them being some of the worst this planet had to offer.

Because they hadn't always been like that.

Because they were avoidable tragedies.

Because some hadn't even had a real choice. A Trigger Event in the worst possible circumstances, the consequences of which had basically condemned them to a bad path.

She could see the person they were.

More importantly, the person they could have been.

Dragon understood.

And she had a heart that bled because she couldn't help as much as she would like, as she should be able to.

Glaistig Uaine brought out the spirit of Gray Boy, causing the spirit that copied to retreat for the moment. He had been a terror, and she had killed him as if she were crushing a fly. She trapped Azazel in a time loop.

Just like that.

He wasn't dead, but it was enough of a defeat for her. Except that...

The bubble burst seconds later.

The first thing Dragon felt was not fear, but hope. The hope of being able to save the people still trapped in one of Gray Boy's bubbles, as this monster had shown that they were not unbreakable as they had always thought.

"I told you. Trying to stop me is like trying to stop the tide, the earthquakes, the sunrise and sunset. I'm here to rectify everything. And this is not my world, but it's still on my side."

4

Mishima Kazuya landed in the nearest forest. It didn't take long to find a big, strong bear. The animal looked at him curiously while munching on a fish. There was no one like him in this strange world.

"You'll do." He assumed a combat stance and made a gesture with his hand, inviting him to take a step forward. "Show me what you're made of."

[What?], said the bear, with half the fish hanging from its mouth.

"I'm going to teach you the Mishima style. Get ready."

He would train this bear and do it better than that damn old man, once again proving his superiority over Heihachi. The panda that old man trained served as a bodyguard for Xiaoyu, a Chinese girl he had taken in for whatever reason. The woman who was always drooling over his son. Jin and he didn't agree on almost anything, but he appreciated that he hadn't impregnated her yet, no matter how obvious it was that the girl was begging for it. She wasn't on Jun's level, to make someone like them forget their duty, even for a very short time.

In any case.

He already knew who his Xiaoyu would be.

Birdcage - Demonic Hunting Ground (2): FIN

 

[MadsGM]

Chapter 12: Birdcage - Demonic Hunting Ground (3)

1

[What if I don't want to?], asked the bear. The piece of fish it hadn't yet swallowed fell from its mouth and got lost in the grass as it spoke. Its roars scared away a flock of birds.

"I'm not asking. Come here or I'll come to you."

Kazuya was demanding, but not entirely unreasonable. He had come here in his demonic form out of necessity, having no other means of transportation in this world but his own wings, but there was no need to maintain it against a stupid animal that wasn't even his opponent.

He returned to his human form. Maybe this way the bear would muster some courage.

It didn't.

It remained petrified. It didn't come to him, but it also didn't move from its spot, as if it feared he would pounce on it the moment it moved a muscle. Which was true, of course.

He had made it very clear. Either the bear came to Kazuya or Kazuya would come to it.

"You asked for it. When this is over, I'll have turned you into a brave warrior."

[Wait!], shouted the bear, standing up, raising its paws above its head. It was as if it were facing a firing squad.

But that hypothetical squad might have a shaky hand, he did not. Never. He didn't know the meaning of mercy.

Kazuya...

"ORA ORA ORA ORA!"

He set off.

He took a few steps forward so quickly it was as if he were running, no ordinary human could even follow his movements with their eyes. The bear looked around as if he had disappeared. Kazuya stopped in front of the bear just long enough for it to realize his presence, that no, he hadn't disappeared into the forest, but had come for it head-on just as he had said he would.

Only to bend his knees and punch it in the chest. The bear opened its mouth, its saliva flew. Briefly, it wondered if it would vomit the fish it had managed to swallow before Kazuya burst into its life on black wings.

It didn't, and the next thing to fly was the bear.

The force of the impact lifted its feet off the ground and sent it flying ten meters back. The bear hit the trunk of a tree, which split in half and fell to the ground. If not for that, it would have kept flying for a while longer, maybe even out of sight.

Kazuya approached the animal, which was writhing on the ground, gasping, with half the tree on top of it.

For the bear, that weight would have been nothing if not for the impact of his punch, of course. If not for the fact that it was still recovering. But he didn't care.

"Get up. I didn't give you permission to rest."

The bear looked at him with wide eyes.

It should consider itself privileged. That was one of the many things he would teach it while waiting for Azazel to return to finish the job. Any damage he did to this world and its inhabitants would only benefit him.

He didn't have to kill and intimidate on his own, he didn't have to impose his iron will directly. He liked it, of course. He loved it. But sometimes it was just as good or even better to let people realize that the best thing was to kneel before him and kiss his boots.

Kazuya smiled.

He couldn't wait especially to subdue that arrogant bitch.

For a woman, she had too much pride, but not the power to back it up, just like Jun. Of course, he had defeated Jun as it couldn't be otherwise, but the fierce fight had heated him in every possible way.

For some reason, the bear began to tremble more violently.

Kazuya frowned.

He hadn't even done anything else yet. He would beat that weakness out of it. By the time he was done with it, it would face Heihachi without a second thought.

And it would lose in a tenth of a second, but the important thing was that it wouldn't hesitate to try. Doubt was the first defeat.

2

Kazuya had always been disgustingly rich.

Privileged was another matter. Heihachi had thrown him off a cliff before he had hair on his balls and things had only gotten worse since then. His life was full of constant battles to reclaim what should be his by right.

But, back to the point, he had always been disgustingly rich.

And when you were disgustingly rich, you asked questions that didn't even cross the minds of normal people. For example, could a bear climb the wall of a cliff?

His apprentice had its claws full testing that.

[Can I stop?], the bear asked, hanging from the cliff wall by its front claws alone.

"Learn not to ask stupid questions. In fact, don't ask any questions at all. Just shut up and obey."

[What did I do to deserve this?]

"Don't let it go to your head. I chose you because you were the first thing I saw when I entered the forest, that's all. But you'd better meet my expectations."

The bear whimpered but continued trying to climb the cliff wall, dragged down by the waterfall's waters. It supposed it needed the motivation of feeling special, blessed with his attention, to endure such harsh training. But Kazuya wasn't going to give it that. Why would he be gentle with it? That led to nothing good.

The iron fist was forged in the flames of hell.

Jinpachi had treated him differently, and he admired and respected him for it. But the truth was the world didn't work that way. Due to his good heart, his grandfather had his company stolen and was locked up like an animal for years, assumed dead by the rest of the world. And when he escaped, he did so consumed by a dark power, only for Jin to put him out of his misery.

That was the reward he received for his good heart.

Kazuya had learned the lesson years ago, defying death even thanks to the power of his hatred, but if he had any lingering doubt, it would have been scattered to the four winds due to the bitter end of the fifth Iron Fist Tournament.

"Less whining and more working. Stop the whimpering. If you have to make a noise, roar."

The bear roared. It jumped, covering a few meters. It dug its claws into the rock once more to avoid falling.

It slid down before stopping, but it didn't lose ground. The problem was that its roar sounded a bit weak.

"Louder. Show me your pride, your fighting spirit!"

[But I don't want to fight], whimpered the bear, but it obeyed, of course. They hadn't been together long, but he had already taught it one thing well at least: it better obey him or it would pay for it. If he told it to jump, it had to jump, not stop to ask how high.

This time its roar sounded more like it should. Kazuya nodded.

"Enough. Continue."

It did. It almost reached the top, but lost its balance and fell back into the water. The water splashed with the impact reached the height of the treetops surrounding them.

Unfortunately for it, almost meant nothing.

"I'm not going to give you any reward for almost making it," said Kazuya when the animal looked at him with expectant eyes. It should have known better, it shouldn't have made him waste his breath. "Get to work. When I'm done with you, your body will be as solid as that cliff and you won't know fear."

Whimpering pathetically, the bear nevertheless immediately obeyed, turned around, and swam to the wall to start again. With each failed attempt, it would become harder to reach the top, but it would make it.

It better, he thought.

3

Dauntless returned to the Protectorate base in Brockton Bay. He decided to enter Piggot's office through the window. It was faster and, anyway, Kazuya had already made a good hole there. He thought it was the best decision, a matter of common sense.

Piggot didn't like it, however.

He had been in the Protectorate long enough, working under her orders, to distinguish her usual expression from true irritation. But at least she chose not to say anything and get to the point. She could be trusted to do that too. She was a professional.

"What was Kazuya doing?"

Piggot wasn't the only one who had been waiting patiently. They undoubtedly had better things to do, but everyone was gathered. Dauntless licked his lips. He probably had a ridiculous expression on his face. They couldn't see it, that's what the helmet was for, but that wasn't the point.

How to say it? Well, he could only blurt it out, right? How else was he going to say it?

"Trading blows with a bear."

"A bear?" Piggot raised an eyebrow. "And the animal didn't explode with the first punch?"

"No ma'am. Because I think he was training it. Well, I don't think. He said it loud and clear, talking to the bear."

No one knew what to say.

"I want to meet that guy," Clockblocker said.

"Was it cute?" Vista asked doubtfully.

Dauntless didn't think too much about it.

"It was a huge beast, but it complained so much it almost made me feel sorry for it."

He was wasting time with that while hundreds of kilometers away Dragon was fighting to prevent a monster, a possible fourth Endbringer, from reaching the Birdcage. They admired him as a local promise, the strongest hero in Brockton Bay, with the potential to one day surpass the Triumvirate. But in the end, he wasn't all that.

Everyone had a limit. You could only save the people within your reach.

"What do we do?" someone asked. Distracted, he didn't even notice who.

"Leave him alone, of course," said Piggot. "If he wants to waste time... training a bear, let him. I can't believe I said that. I need my headache pills."

4

[How am I doing, master?], asked the bear. Night was approaching. Of course, the animal was exhausted, but it managed to stay on its feet and held its head up proudly.

Kazuya looked it in the eyes slowly.

"I'm not gonna sugarcoat it."

Birdcage - Demonic Hunting Ground (3): FIN

 

[MadsGM]

Chapter 13: Demonic Hunting Ground (4)

1

After three days of intense training in the forest, during which he slept for approximately two and a half hours, Kazuya informed the bear (whom he had decided to name Jimbo for no particular reason) that they would finally be leaving the area.

"Does that mean I've completed my training, sir?" Jimbo asked.

Kazuya snorted.

"Not even close. It means I'm fed up with the forest." He squashed a particularly annoying mosquito with a finger without looking, as he said that. It was just one of the many things that had bothered him over these three days.

It was actually admirable that he had endured one thing after another for so long for the sake of his disciple. It was the same as for his own sake, of course, because he couldn't let someone who had learned from him be weak, but it still counted.

"Oh," said Jimbo, visibly discouraged.

Kazuya gave him a light smack on the back of the head.

"None of that nonsense. Take a deep breath and stand firm, don't you dare embarrass your master."

"Yes, master!"

They continued their way out of the forest. Kazuya could, of course, transform into a demon and be kilometers away in the blink of an eye, but if he did that, the poor idiot wouldn't know where to go. So he decided to be patient and take the longer path.

Even so, it seemed endless, and he was getting angrier by the minute. He didn't understand Jun's fervor for preserving the environment. What was so good about it?

Well, he did understand because she had explained it to him ad nauseam before, during, and after sex. To be honest, they hadn't done much besides that and fight in the tournament; they hadn't had the time. So they had found a moment for other things wherever they could.

Then his father defeated him, killed him, and he spent twenty years dead. By the time he returned from the dead, Jin was a rebellious brat, and Jun had died too, without anyone bothering to revive her. In fact, no one had ever found her body. Considering what Ogre was, he preferred not to think about the reason.

Well, things happen, Kazuya thought.

They shouldn't have much further to go before leaving the forest. Hopefully not, or he would lose his patience. He might even kill Jimbo in his rage, if not for the fact that then he'd have to find another bear to train.

Jun, I really hate this place, but our picnic wasn't so bad. Allowing himself a rare moment of nostalgia, Kazuya began to whistle.

"Come on, Jin. We still have a long way to go."

"What did you call me?"

Kazuya threw his head back to look at him in the coldest and most absolute silence. The bear swallowed.

"I must have misheard."

2

Kazuya entered the Protectorate base, followed closely by Jimbo, walking with the confidence of someone who owned the place. In a way, he did, in the same way that he owned the whole world: the building only remained standing because he allowed it.

No one got in his way or said a word. Instead, they quickly moved away from him, not even looking at him. Good, just as he liked it, inferior beings lowering their heads, showing their submission. There was nothing he enjoyed more. It was fantastic; it drove him wild.

Kazuya entered the gym and scanned it critically. It took him about half a second to judge that it was complete garbage that didn't meet his expectations. As if that weren't enough, there were more kids than adults using it, even counting Jimbo and himself.

"Let's get to work. No matter how deficient this equipment is, you don't have the right to skip a single day of training."

Jimbo nodded and started running on one of the free treadmills, breathing heavily. He was undoubtedly tired from the journey here and the previous night's training, which had lasted from dusk till dawn.

"Is that a bear?" said a little girl in a green suit that made her look younger than she was, and she was already quite young. What could she be, nine years old? What was she doing here? Not that he cared, of course, but it piqued his curiosity a bit.

Don't tell me this little girl is one of those 'capes.'

You've got to be kidding me.

"Of course. Haven't you ever seen a bear, kid?"

He had chosen his most diplomatic response, but the girl still frowned, angry. Or at least trying to look angry. She wasn't very good at it.

"Of course I have, but you don't see this every day. De... Clockblocker, what are you doing?" Kazuya raised an eyebrow. Everyone was unmasked, what did he want to hide by swallowing his name? Anyway, kids and their childish stupidities. If only more people left those things behind, truly maturing. Growing old is mandatory, maturing is optional. There would be fewer annoying people in this world otherwise.

"Just what it looks like. Recording it to upload to my Facebook."

"Why?"

"Why not?" Clockblocker shrugged. "Admit it, it's cute."

"Well, yes, but..."

"Vista, Clock, I..." began to say a kid even smaller with red and gold armor and a red visor. It contrasted with Vista and her colors of...

Ah, yes. The damn forest.

That's why she irritated him especially, not just for being a child, which was already quite enough, of course, but there was a bigger reason in this case.

"Jimbo, say hello."

"Hello," roared Jimbo.

The forest girl grimaced, taking a few steps back. What had the other kid called her? Oh, yes. Vista. Very original. Clockblocker stayed where he was, but his phone fell to the ground. The kid in the red and gold armor had no reaction. Visible, at least. Maybe too scared for that. Kazuya didn't know fear, but he knew there were three kinds of fear. One was the kind that left you too scared to move a finger.

"Dude," said a guy named... What was his name? In any case, he recognized him as the bastard who had tried to take him down after he crushed Lung's head. That was a name worth remembering, as he had given a good fight. "Don't mess with the kids."

"When have I done that?"

"Okay, whatever you say." The guy continued lifting weights as if to show off like if he didn't have superpowers helping.

"Things are always as I say, yes," Kazuya nodded.

The guy glanced at him but chose not to challenge him. Good. He could tolerate those who lowered their eyes and accepted they were inferior. Although he preferred, of course, the company of those who could challenge him. Not defeat him. That was not possible. Damn Paul had come close, leading to a tie, but that barely counted. He had been too distracted by his American stupidity to fully concentrate on the fight or something like that. Yes, definitely. Kazuya coughed.

"Am I doing well, Master?" Jimbo asked.

"Oh yes, sure," Kazuya said in a light tone unusual for him when he wasn't even looking at him.

He didn't know what he was doing and wasn't particularly interested at the moment. Damn Paul. Not only was he American, arrogant, stupid, that is, the average American. These days that guy lost to bears and kangaroos, so there was no way to explain how he had managed to tie with him apart from Kazuya being distracted. Right? There was no other explanation.

As he was going over it in his mind, trying to convince himself, another costumed jerk burst into the gym, interrupting his important training session.

"What do you want?"

"You didn't let me start." Armsmaster (he remembered mainly for the stupidity of the name, he hadn't impressed him or anything) sighed. "The director wants to see you."

"Give me a reason to want to see her."

Armsmaster sighed.

"News about Azazel."

"Very well, I see." As he passed by, leaving, he patted his head. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Kazuya licked his lips, not literally, seeing Armsmaster suppressing his rage, powerless.

Lung had gotten rid of him like a mosquito, and Kazuya had destroyed Lung. So, even leaving aside that they were cooperating, he wouldn't achieve anything even if he decided to attack.

Yes, dominating the weak was a true pleasure, an inexhaustible spring. Speaking of the weak, he was about to have a chat with the little piggy again. No matter how much she thought she had some power in this world, there was no one weaker in this building. In this organization, even.

He reached the piggy's office, with Armsmaster following closely. I'll huff, I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down, he thought.

To his surprise, the piggy wasn't even going to make it difficult for him. She wasn't alone in her office, but her only companion was a girl maybe a bit older than that Vista, but not much more. Chubby cheeks and a primarily green Disney princess dress or something like that.

What did he know? He had no idea what little girls liked.

In any case, the important thing was that she didn't seem particularly threatening.

Kazuya frowned anyway because the girl wasn't very well cared for. Dirty and with clothes torn here and there. She even had some wounds. He approached her, ignoring the piggy and Armsmaster, kneeling to get to her eye level.

"Mishima Kaz..." The girl fell silent when he pinched her cheek.

"Who did this to you? Tell me and I'll kill them."

The girl's eyes widened more and more, becoming the size of pinpricks. She probably wasn't used to anyone standing up for her. A shame, but everything could be fixed.

"Kazuya."

He turned his head to look at the piglet. Still sitting in her office chair, she looked like she was watching the building collapse. It was normal for her to be so scared without him lifting a finger—everyone should fear him—but she was exaggerating a bit.

"She's not a girl," the piglet continued. "She's a woman. Glaistig Uaine, who fought side by side with Dragon against Azazel, is currently the only survivor of the Birdcage."

He let go of the cheek of the so-called... whatever her name was. He wasn't going to remember it anyway.

"How could you lock up a little girl?"

Armsmaster, knowing what was good for him, remained silent, arms crossed in a corner of the room near the piglet.

"I told you, she's not a girl!" The piglet banged the table to emphasize her impotent, pathetic shout. Who did she think she was fooling? "The last thing we need is for you to make her angry."

"Don't be ridiculous."

The girl sought his attention again immediately. How needy.

"Kazuya..." Her voice sounded like a hundred people speaking at once, a distorted echo that he imagined could be creepy in other hands.

He patted her head, tousling her hair.

"Don't you have a better name than Glais... Glais whatever?"

The girl blushed and lowered her head.

"Ciara."

"Ciara. Good, that's better. Much more normal. Tell me, do you like bears?"

She blinked.

"I suppose."

"Perfect!"

For lack of a better candidate and the desire to go out and find one, Kazuya had considered Vista as his Xiaoyu. But this girl, this Ciara, was more adorable and much less noisy.

"Well, anyway." The piglet put her hands to her head, frowning. "Dragon and Glaistig Uaine lost to Azazel, and the Birdcage was destroyed, killing all the prisoners in an instant. If you want to see the recording..."

"Why would I want to see that? It's the obvious outcome. I already told you, I'm the only one who can defeat him."

"Yeah, like you don't have plenty of reasons to say that. To make us think we depend on you."

Kazuya shrugged and continued pinching Ciara's cheeks. Thanks to her, he felt more relaxed. Her cheeks were soft and elastic like cream buns.

"Then don't believe me. Send as many idiots to their deaths as you need to feel satisfied. I'm not a patient man, but I can wait."

"While that monster kills millions of people?" Armsmaster said.

Kazuya shrugged again.

"It's not like this is my world. What do you expect? Well, even if it were happening in my world, I'd do exactly the same as long as it didn't affect me personally," he admitted calmly. He had nothing to hide.

"What a monster."

Armsmaster was about to take a step forward, to no avail, but the piglet put an end to it by raising a hand, signaling him to swallow what little pride he had left and stop.

"I know people like you, Kazuya. Most parahumans are the same, really. You have powers that normal people don't, and that's why you think you're the center of the universe, that you can push the world in whatever direction you please. The Protectorate exists precisely to stop people like you. I've been watching you, Kazuya. Too many of my own men treat you like some sort of harmless prankster, saying strange things, mocking people they don't like, training a bear. Yes, we have the recordings, and certain people pass them around like they've never seen anything funnier. But I know exactly what you are and I won't forget it. Kazuya, you're a monster in human skin."

He smiled smugly, lowering his hand from Ciara's head.

"I know." Did she think this was some sort of profound revelation? "And so are you."

Piggot simply returned his gaze silently, defiantly. She knew he could split her in half in the blink of an eye, and she didn't believe Armsmaster could save her at the last moment, so he supposed he could give her credit for her guts.

Not for her brain, but that was another matter.

He supposed she had become comfortable, believing he wouldn't risk the deal they had for the sake of returning to his world. That thought disgusted him, but what interested him most now was making her confront her hypocrisy, the cornerstone of her identity. It was too easy to destroy her physically. She was already half-dead, kept alive and functioning more or less only thanks to medicine and a machine.

He had to go for the foundations of her fragile existence first.

"You're exactly like the people you say you hate, using the power you have to push the world in the right direction because you think you're entitled to. And it's not hard to guess why. You lost someone, friends, family. In an accident, being saved by some irresponsible cape? On purpose? No. I think you were a soldier in this organization, built by and for superhuman people, and you learned firsthand how little they care about small ants like you. One or two or however many. And then you painted the rest with the same brush. Too convinced of your own righteousness to realize you were following in the same footsteps of the people you said you hated. Tell me, am I wrong about anything?"

Piggot was the first to look away, as expected.

"Kazuya, step back," warned Armsmaster, approaching with his halberd raised. Apparently, his boss losing the argument counted as a threat. She must have an ego as fragile as her obese and broken body.

"Enough, Colin," Piggot said. Armsmaster didn't stop immediately, but he obeyed and halted. "He won't do anything. For better or worse, he's alone in this world. He needs our help."

Kazuya returned her gaze.

"What a mistake you made."

Kazuya opened his hand and passed it through her chest, grabbing her heart.

Piggot's face barely moved, as if it hurt too much for that, her muscles frozen if only for a few seconds. As if she was still trying to understand what had happened in the first place.

With a single tug, he ripped out her heart.

Piggot fell to the ground, dragging the chair with her, blood gushing copiously.

Demonic Hunting Ground (4): FIN

 

[MadsGM]

Chapter 14: Northern Lights, Part 1

Armsmaster lunged at him, raising his halberd above his head. He screamed with rage and determination as if he could change what had happened. Piggot's heart was still beating in Kazuya's hand, but that woman was naturally already dead. No one could save her.

Kazuya prepared to face Armsmaster with a smile and toy with him until he got bored. However, something unexpected happened. Ciara got between them. Of course, Kazuya was concerned, but nothing happened. He only had to step in to move Ciara out of the way and avoid her getting crushed as the guy fell.

There was no need to check his pulse or anything to know that the guy was dead. Just like that, so suddenly.

"Strange."

"He died because I touched him," Ciara said.

Kazuya laughed heartily. What an imagination kids had! He ruffled her hair again. He wondered if Jin had been this funny. Probably not.

He left Piggot's office with her still-beating heart in his hand. Ciara followed him closely like a lost puppy. Naturally, soon enough, some small stones got in his way, hoping to make him trip as if he were an ordinary man.

He had kicked the hornet's nest, and this was the result. Red alarm lights, metal doors dropping, blocking the way. Come on, the usual. It could be another world, but it wasn't that different.

The entire Protectorate had quickly gathered to stop him. Except for those who were already dead, of course. He had let them do it, and it wouldn't change anything, but still, he was surprised by their speed. They had also brought ordinary soldiers with a weapon that looked ridiculous. He didn't recognize the design, so it wasn't bad to be somewhat cautious. Just in case.

No, what was he saying? He would crush them like insects with his overwhelming power. He had no reason to be cautious of anyone. Remembering that golden man who had practically killed him with a single blow, Kazuya's face twisted ugly. That being was an exception to the rule. Besides, he would have been able to put up a fight if it weren't for being tired from the battle with Lung. Without a doubt!

"Damn animal," someone muttered.

"Maybe we can handle Mishima, but Glaistig Uaine..." said another.

He didn't really remember them well. They were weak, had stupid names, and their somehow even stupider costumes definitely didn't help. Anyway, they were just obstacles in his way that would soon disappear. So he had no reason to bother remembering their names.

"Her name is Ciara. And being called an animal by people who lock up a little girl in a super cage means nothing to me."

"She's not a little girl. She has... Well, I don't know how old she is, but she must be around your age."

Kazuya laughed. What nonsense these clowns from another world were saying. As he laughed, he squeezed Piggot's heart a bit too much. Naturally, the organ exploded like a piñata.

"Well, I was saving it for a more dramatic moment," Kazuya complained. "Did I get you dirty?"

He felt Ciara shake her head.

"Good girl."

"What's wrong with that crazy girl now?"

"Be careful with your tongue, or I'll rip it out. Oh, I almost forgot. Jimbo! Jimbo!"

He hadn't wasted so much time training the animal to leave it there. It better manage to hear his call somehow. What if they had killed him? It was just a bear, but he didn't have the time or desire to train another, so he'd be without a bear to give to Ciara. He had promised her. Kazuya frowned.

He took a step forward.

The inevitable fight was interrupted once again. Someone or something entered through the window unceremoniously, landing amidst the shower of broken glass. A machine in the shape of a dragon that looked like something Seto Kaiba would design if he were into red dragons instead of being a white supremacist.

"Dragon," said Ciara. "I thought Azazel had finished you off."

"It was close," a subtly robotic voice replied. "Where is Armsmaster?"

Ciara smiled.

"He's with me."

The mechanical dragon's shoulders sagged as if it were deflating.

"Oh, Colin. It's my fault."

"With you where?" Kazuya asked. "It's fine for girls to have a big imagination, but don't overdo it. That coward is dead, nothing more."

Dragon launched a lethal charge. However, the explosives went nowhere; they didn't even explode. For some reason, they disappeared right in front of him anticlimactically. He had prepared to receive them, demonstrating his resilience. Let's say he wanted to leave them awestruck by his power. Anyway, it was a bit disappointing.

"What the hell happened?" Kazuya wondered.

"Glaistig Uaine did it," one of those idiots said.

"Ciara is just a girl." Kazuya rolled his eyes. "Unbelievable."

They had no shame, all of them, emprisoning a girl of maybe twelve years old and then attributing all sorts of things to her. Were they crazy and stupid, did they believe their own lies, or was there a bigger reason? In any case, it irritated him. He had chosen Ciara as his protégé, and she, as it couldn't be otherwise, had obeyed, seeing the opportunity as the blessing it was. It was his responsibility to shut those mouths.

"Enough of this farce."

Kazuya took another step forward.

ROUND 1! FIGHT!

Well, no one said that, but he heard it in his head anyway. Habit.

The guy in Greek armor threw his electric spear at him. Kazuya transformed into an Devil at the last moment, but it still managed to penetrate his skin, albeit not very deeply. The worst part, naturally, was the shock. But Kazuya stood firm, his expression barely changing in response to the pain. Without blinking, without looking away from the guy who had done this, he pulled the spear out and tossed it behind him. He had no need for weapons like those. His body was the weapon.

The other arrogant woman (apart from Piggot, who no longer counted at all) used her power to form an assault rifle or pull it from some pocket dimension, or whatever, the point is she opened fire and each and every bullet bounced off his chest uselessly. They didn't even damage his suit.

Yes, now Kazuya was wearing his usual suit, not his karate pants.

He hadn't thought it worthy of mentioning his detour to have a tailor make the suit while Jimbo held him at bear claw point.

Kazuya might be a monster, but he was an elegant and refined monster.

One of the many guys with a stupid look approached the only other woman on the team while the first continued to open fire on him. He touched that woman, shooting towards him. However, he was not nearly fast enough. Kazuya didn't even have to do anything.

Because he was intercepted.

Jimbo had heard his call after all and arrived at the fight by bursting through the wall, rolling.

As expected from something he had personally trained, the debris didn't even slow him down. He caught Assault, whose name Kazuya managed to remember only because that's what was happening to him now, gave him several spins like a toy, and then threw him out the window.

Assault screamed like a girl or even worse, but fortunately, the scream was quickly silenced after a loud crash. Kazuya imagined he had burst against the asphalt. And he imagined wrong because soon an alarm started blaring; what he had done was crush a car.

Well. Even he could be wrong sometimes...

"Ethan!" the woman shouted.

Jimbo, in contrast, was very happy. Wiggling cheerfully, he raised one of his claws.

"Here I am, Master. High five!"

Kazuya rolled his eyes but high-fived him.

He assumed a fighting stance alongside Jimbo.

He supposed this was round two.

Northern Lights, Part 1: END

 

[MadsGM]

Thought about posting again only after finishing the story, but here we go.

***

Chapter 15: Northern Lights, Part 2

"How did he do that?"

"You mean talk?"

"Are you all stupid or what? He just killed Ethan!" The woman put her hands to her head.

"Yes, we've all seen it," replied Kazuya as he suddenly flew to her and punched her in the head. The woman went through at least one wall; beyond that, he lost sight of her.

He chose her as the first target of this second round mainly because she was the loudest of them all.

Jimbo followed him closely, of course, launching himself against Dragon's dragon.

It could hardly be called a fight. The bear tore that pile of junk to pieces as if it were a children's toy. It didn't even last a minute. Kazuya would have said good job if he hadn't looked surprised afterward.

"It was so easy, even though I can't even scratch my Master's body. Master, was this a training dummy?"

"Sure, why not?"

"I figured. I guess I passed the test."

"Not yet."

"Yeah, right. Well, these don't seem very strong either."

"Wow, I can't believe I'm being trash talked by a bear," said some idiot. How was he supposed to know which one? Those stupid costumes weren't that different, and besides, their faces were covered. He was going to have to kill them all, if only to reduce the number of people to keep track of.

Well, he was going to have to kill them anyway. There was no remedy now. Although he didn't want to either.

Anyway, the point is that they fought, and Ciara stayed behind them, waving her arms and doing other weird things, believing she was contributing. But at least she stayed back, safe. He didn't want her to get killed. Damn, it would take too long to find another girl to raise.

By the way, perhaps it didn't need to be said that Jimbo had gotten rid of the dragon machine by throwing it out the window, just as he did with that Ethan guy, so it didn't obstruct the fight at all. Maybe, but he would say it anyway. It seemed like a good time.

The guys in strange uniforms (they weren't costumes, that was something) shot at him with weapons he didn't recognize, spraying him with a lot of white foam. Kazuya didn't feel like finding out exactly what that shit did, so he did what he could to dodge it, while it painted the walls and filled cracks everywhere.

It was a rather narrow space to maneuver, but he managed anyway.

The small amount that splashed on his shoes apparently didn't do anything. Except annoy him, of course, which was already quite a lot. He liked those shoes, and now they were dirty and sticky.

He couldn't remedy that, but he could make them pay.

He hit one of them in the chest, right over the heart. He didn't grab anything because this time he didn't hold back. It simply exploded. Even before his iron fist touched the heart of that prey animal.

A lance of electricity hit him in the chest, electrocuting him before bouncing back to its bearer's hands. That asshole in the Greek armor. The one who had tried to stop him during his tactical retreat after killing Lung. He couldn't remember his stupid 'superhero' name, and he had never learned his real one, though it would surely be as stupid as the guy.

Kazuya screamed, firing his demonic ray from the third eye, which left many of those soldiers with the weird weapon that shot foam of all possible things headless or without half their body. But the stupid Greek guy simply raised a shield and not only stopped the ray but bounced it back at him.

Kazuya dodged without thinking, despite having Ciara right behind him. Just as he had ordered her, of course, she was a good girl. But by some strange luck, the ray missed, never reaching the defenseless girl. Good, luck was on his side.

For a change.

"We can't do it, not against the three of them, there's no way."

It was the most intelligent thing any of those costumed idiots had said since he'd known them and probably since they had the audacity to come into the world. A mistake of nature that he himself could remedy, one by one. That sounded very much like Azazel, but well, the creature wasn't wrong about everything. Only about getting in his way.

He grabbed a grenade thrown by that woman who was a walking armory and threw it through the glass of some office. It exploded shortly after. He had gotten rid of it because against real opponents those things were useless, but he supposed he should have taken a page from Jimbo's book and thrown that shit out the window, at least he would have heard a few screams of agony.

Speaking of Jimbo, he was having a great time, rolling and plowing through everything that got in his way, waving his claws and actually his entire body, as if he were dancing rather than fighting. Maybe he was having too much fun. They would talk about it later.

Or not.

Actually, it wasn't that big a deal, as long as he kept destroying their enemies, let him enjoy it his way. He did too.

Not in such a childish way, but well, Jimbo was a small child. Or not. It was just an impression, what did he know about the age of bears?

He grabbed the weapon of that annoying woman, breaking it over his knee into two halves. Then he grabbed the woman herself by the neck, but he didn't strangle her or break it like a dry branch, though he was perfectly capable of doing that.

"Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men..."

First of all, he decided to stop and pull her right arm until he tore it off.

Blood came gushing out as if spewed by a sprinkler. The air filled with agonizing screams.

"Couldn't put Humpty together again," Kazuya continued, ripping off a leg and then throwing her away like a broken toy. "Shit, Paul always finds a way to annoy me. Stupid American song. Why did it have to be catchy?"

"Miss Militia!"

Oh, so that's what she was called, well, she hadn't thought about it too much.

Some of those strange soldiers turned around, stopping their firing of that damn foam, running to support her and get her out of there. He wondered if she would receive medical attention in time. For approximately a tenth of a second. Because he didn't give a shit.

Naturally, he would mercilessly destroy anyone who stood in his way, but he wouldn't bother chasing down any insect that barely managed to save itself to finish the job. It would be like saying he believed them to be a threat when nothing could be further from the truth.

Kazuya's charge was abruptly halted. A mechanical hand grabbed him and dragged him through a wall, making a new hole with his body. The enemy was another dragon-shaped machine, undoubtedly Dragon's work. Kazuya didn't believe in coincidences.

"Oh, I thought she was inside that thing. Maybe I should have watched the combat recording after all."

The machine flapped its wings and dragged him upwards with it. He supposed it intended to move him away from the civilians on the ground and the poor idiots he would easily massacre in the Protectorate building. It had to be very stupid to believe it could handle him alone when Jimbo had destroyed it in the blink of an eye, but perhaps the point was that she wasn't risking anything. So at the very least, she could buy time for the others without risking her life. And at best, she could stop him without anyone else having to die.

Things didn't go as Dragon planned, but not because of Kazuya. Before he could free himself from the machine's grip, something happened. He saw a blur. The vibrations of the machine after the impact were also transmitted to his body, as the dragon fell to the ground with its wings folded close to its body.

He assumed Jimbo had come to rescue him, though he didn't need any rescue. Adorable...

I mean, stupid. He should have stayed with Ciara, who needed help. He'd like to say those masked idiots wouldn't do anything to her, but this crazy world had locked up that little girl in the first place. He couldn't take it for granted.

The robot released him before hitting the ground, undoubtedly not on purpose. In any case, Kazuya ended up flying in a different direction. He couldn't regain control in time.

"Ouch," Kazuya said as he burst a fire hydrant with his head. He rose a few meters above the ground on demonic wings, trying to pretend nothing had happened here. "Good job..."

Jimbo, he was going to say, only it wasn't Jimbo. It was a woman. He didn't mean Ciara. Ciara was a child, to begin with. It was a woman he knew very well. A woman who still haunted his dreams, a woman he still sometimes saw out of the corner of his eye when a shadow stirred.

"I can't believe it... you were still alive?"

Yes, it was Jun. As beautiful as the day Heihachi had defeated him and thrown him into the volcano. She really hadn't aged a single day, somehow. What the hell was she doing here? Well, he didn't know what the hell he was doing here in the first place. It had just happened.

"Kazuya..." The woman assumed a fighting stance. "I swear this time I'll save you."

Nice show of affection, though she was assuming he was the problem here. She was right, but well...

"I don't seek salvation. Disappear from my sight!"

Easy, Kazuya, he thought. You're as cool and edgy as back then. I'm sure I'll have her eating out of my hand in no time.

Kazuya assumed a fighting stance, but nothing began. Not yet. Because Ciara landed behind him. How had she gotten here and what was that green energy surrounding her clothes for a second?

Had someone with powers helped her down? But why?

"Have you cheated on me, Kazuya?" The rage boiled beneath Jun's calm voice like lava.

"I'm one of the most handsome, powerful, and rich men on the planet."

Jun clenched her teeth and fists.

"And on top of that, you took care of her, and left Jin to his fate?"

Kazuya blinked.

"Who?"

Women. They should come with an instruction manual, who understood them?

Before he knew it, Jun was on top of him, her fist flying towards his face.

"Yes, maybe I'll forget to save you, like you wanted!"

Northern Lights, Part 2: FIN

 

[MadsGM]

I told myself I wouldn't post anything more until it was done, but well, it is almost done. So whatever, let's fucking go.

Chapter 16: Northern Lights, Part 3

Jun was coming for his head, and Kazuya wasn't even sure what he had done wrong.

This described more moments in their short but intense relationship so far than he could count. He had always liked her fierce spirit, it was what had attracted him to her in the first place, but sometimes it could be too much. They clashed in the middle of the street like wild animals.

Neither of them gave ground, and every time their fists met, the shockwaves made the ground tremble and crack.

Jun, of course, was not a fighter who could compare to him.

She was a woman, for starters, haha!

But still, she was quite a beast. She moved with the grace and ferocity of a panther. It would be difficult to keep her under control without hurting her, so Kazuya didn't even bother holding back. He treated her as she was, at least for the moment: another obstacle in his path.

He wasn't using the ray from his third demonic eye, but that was because he knew Jun was fast enough to dodge it, even at this short distance. For the ray to connect, he had to hit her first, unbalance her, surprise her. And so far, he wasn't managing that. Their encounter gave the false impression that they were evenly matched, exchanging blows in the middle of the road.

Cars avoided them, turned around and headed elsewhere. Those that could. Quickly evacuating the area.

The supposed heroes of this world still weren't interfering directly. Good, it would annoy him if someone meddled in his reunion with Jun. Even Ciara was being a good girl, staying behind him, on the sidelines.

Although of course, a little girl like her couldn't do anything to help him. Obviously.

Jun stepped back. For a moment, Kazuya allowed himself to think she would come to her senses and at least give him a chance to explain himself. Nothing could be further from the truth. His ex-wife... Or well, wife, there had been no need or reason to ask him for a divorce while he had been dead for about fifteen years or so.

As I was saying, Jun ripped a lamppost from the ground.

That's why she had stepped back.

And of course, she used it as a weapon. She wielded it as easily as if it were an olive branch.

Kazuya couldn't dodge in time, but he did raise his arms in a cross, blocking the attack. Even so, the force of the impact dragged him back a few centimeters. His boots, firmly planted on the ground, left two scars in the earth when this happened.

"What's wrong with you?" Kazuya asked. Although it didn't sound like a question. He shouted it, practically spat it out, confused and irritated.

"What's wrong with me? You ask what's wrong with me?"

Jun threw her arms back to wield the lamppost again.

She was fucking fast (Apparently her speed and power behind her attacks increased with anger, a mysterious bonus), so he couldn't dodge that blow in any way, once again.

But he didn't need to.

Kazuya fired the demonic ray, splitting the lamppost in two before it could reach him. The two halves flew far away and the only thing the attack displaced was his hair, stirring the air.

Kazuya smiled, very pleased with himself.

"Yeah, what the hell is wrong with you? I have no idea why you're so angry, woman."

As usual, he thought, but didn't add. As true as it was, she was already angry enough and his usual reconciliation strategy (in the short time they had been together, that is), well...

It would be a bit weird to start applying it in the middle of the street.

He wasn't into exhibitionism.

Jun responded with a punch to his face. Kazuya staggered back, smiling. A good fight felt much better than having sex, anyway. The blood in his veins wasn't blood, it was gasoline and as always, Jun had set it on fire in the blink of an eye.

He just had to take care of one thing before he could continue. Ciara took a step forward, as if she could do anything other than get in his way.

"Sssh, go to your room." Then he remembered that until recently she had slept in a prison cell. "Or whatever."

Ciara looked at him, blinking for a moment.

Or maybe more, but Jun didn't give him time to waste.

Kazuya returned the punch. He grabbed her by the waist, flapping his wings took them above the road, no more. Not high enough to be above the skyscrapers. He wanted to teach her a good lesson, not kill her. He turned her around and threw her against the ground.

Jun had no wings, no way to change her trajectory in mid-air.

So, of course, he fired the ray from his third eye.

The wave of demonic energy hit her in the chest and made her fall accelerate ten times. The force of the impact was such that Jun ended up in a crater on the ground, but Kazuya wasn't satisfied with that. He was practically on top of her already, ready to finish what he had started with a good kick.

However, he couldn't do that.

She caught his leg and he ended up on the ground too. Quite roughly and head first. Kazuya coughed as Jun mounted him, huh, in the least preferable sense. Then a rain of punches fell on Kazuya. The position was unfavorable and they were too close, so he couldn't defend himself well. Besides, Jun was crazy. Her speed seemed to increase with each punch she threw.

"Why am I angry? First you leave me to go kill your father, you stay dead for fifteen years..."

Sorry?

How is that my fault, woman? He would have muttered such a protest if he had enough air in his lungs.

"You come back, but too late to help Jin and me with Ogre. And now I suddenly find myself in this unreasonable world, not knowing why, and you're here and it turns out you've cheated on me and you treat your daughter better than Jin. You don't even remember."

Kazuya blinked.

"What daughter?"

Jun's fist stopped millimeters from his face.

"That kid. I admit she's adorable, but so was Jin. Until you ruined his life."

"I found her like... less than an hour ago. She's not my daughter."

Jun seemed thoughtful.

"Why are you so protective of her, then? It's still annoying that you care more about her than our son."

Because she's a woman and needs protection, he thought. Men have to become tough quickly.

He had the feeling Jun would slap him if he said that, so he bit his tongue. Normally he would say whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, but he didn't want to go back to square one when it seemed he was managing to convince her.

"They had her locked up."

"What?"

"In a prison for the worst criminals of this earth, all with superpowers. Can you believe it? And they call me evil. Well, I am, but..."

"No, you're not. There's goodness in you, I know it." Jun grabbed him by the neck and then looked at him, very, very intently.

Kazuya knew that look very well. Three hours later they had made Jin. Or maybe earlier, perhaps he had hit the mark with the first shot, how would he know? In any case, Jun brought her mouth close to his. Her lips were as moist and inviting as her big eyes.

Just as their lips were about to make contact, the monster landed.

That's right. Azazel had finished whatever he had been doing outside Brockton Bay and had chosen precisely that moment to appear.

"You son of a bitch."

Northern Lights, Part 3: FIN

* * *

Just in case, Kazuya's sexist thoughts are Kazuya's, not the author's. Tekken is pretty light on characterization, but it made sense to me because Heihachi was the same way. He threw Kazuya off a volcano when he was a little kid and his response to his grandson on the ground begging for his help was to shoot him between the eyes. Yet he adopts Xiaoyu after she humiliates him by sneaking onto his yacht and beating up his guards. He pays her the best education she can get in the country, personally trains a panda to serve as her bodyguard. The newest Tekken villain is a daughter of Heihachi's as well and seems to have fond memories of him as her whole motivation is literally to avenge the old man.

 

[MadsGM]

Chapter 17: Northern Lights, Part 4

Kazuya slowly stood up, very reluctantly, moving Jun off of him. It had been way too long since he'd had proper sex, and of course, Azazel had to show up right on time to ruin the party. How typical. He wouldn't expect anything less.

He probably even did it on purpose, damn it. He really was a demon. Or maybe he didn't understand what that meant because there was nothing dangling between the legs of that crystal doll.

Kazuya and Jun took up fighting stances, ready to finish this together, for once united in the same purpose, or so Kazuya was fairly sure. The frustration was very evident on the woman's face. That was something they were both good at.

But the fight didn't start right away. Something quite eye-catching happened first.

Jimbo fell from the Protectorate building with something in his arms. Only when he landed, and that something burst open like a piñata—if piñatas were mostly filled with blood and guts—did Kazuya realize what had just happened.

"You killed Vista." If you're surprised he remembered the stupid superhero name of a little girl, imagine how surprised Kazuya was himself.

"You bastards!" someone shouted from inside the building, the voice of a young guy. Clockblocker, probably.

"So what, Master?"

"Well," Kazuya shrugged, "it's a little dark for this story."

You had to admit it.

"You tore that woman apart."

"Yeah, but at least I sang a song while I did it. That's where the fun is. You, a cute bear, just killed a little girl, just like that. With your belly."

Jimbo scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. Well, Kazuya didn't like scolding him either, but it was his responsibility as the Master. Besides, Jimbo was messing up the delicate balance of the story.

"Well, she was trying to kill me, to be fair. And that probably was only funny to the author."

"Stop breaking the fourth wall or I'll break your bones," growled Azazel, stepping closer, each of his steps making the ground tremble. Not just because of his size, which wasn't that big, but because nature itself responded to him. It yielded.

A strange wind blew through all of them. If you asked Kazuya, he wouldn't be able to tell you what they had been talking about a few seconds, or maybe minutes, earlier. But he didn't like mysteries at all, so he opened his mouth to ask. However, Jun beat him to it.

"What were we doing?"

And his doubts vanished in an instant. He even forgot that he had doubted in the first place.

"I think we were about to have wild sex."

"Oh, right." Jun blushed. Well, at least she admitted it.

"About to fight me," Azazel had to chime in.

"That too." Kazuya nodded.

"I hate you both."

Well, the feeling was mutual. After all, Azazel had robbed him of the chance to have the best sex of his life and conceive another child he would happily neglect.

As for what happened during the Third World War or in this universe, where Azazel had just screwed him over after that golden bastard had sliced him in half?

What's done is done.

When the fight started, Kazuya went for Azazel immediately. One might say the ideal thing would be to keep his distance and shoot him with his demon ray over and over until he fell. There was no need to trade blows with that giant monster. But that just wasn't his style.

Besides, the closer he stayed, the harder it was to miss. All advantages.

Jun and Jimbo did the same since they didn't have any long-range attacks to begin with. Besides, they didn't need them. They demonstrated good coordination.

As for Kazuya and Jun, it was because they were married. Really married. Despite the little time they'd spent together and their differences, they were in sync. As for the bear, well, the only explanation was that Kazuya had trained him too well in under a week. Either that, or he was a natural fighter. That seemed accurate too.

Azazel was big, but that wasn't an advantage. Not really, against opponents strong enough to hurt him and when outnumbered. His attacks weren't particularly hard to dodge.

It was impossible not to see them coming in time. The only question was whether you could react fast enough.

Because despite his enormous size, he was, of course, very fast. As if he weighed nothing, despite the tremors he caused wherever he went.

That's why victory wasn't inevitable with the three of them fighting together.

He was fast as a blizzard, faster than he should be. The earth and the wind undoubtedly gave him the extra push he needed. He didn't have to cause earthquakes or topple skyscrapers to prove his dominion over nature.

The reaction time of the three was exceptional, though Kazuya would never say that out loud.

But even so, they couldn't dodge all the attacks. Some they just had to endure as best they could. Their bodies were tough, but if things went on like this, they would eventually wear down, like any human would.

Yes.

Like any fight, the question was who would wear out first. Even though Azazel was bigger and stronger, he was still at a numerical disadvantage. His superiority wasn't overwhelming enough to ignore the power of three exceptional fighters focused solely on crushing him.

They had the upper hand.

The fight was going well, so of course, it was interrupted right away. Down came the man in Greek armor and wielding a lightning spear. The guy who thought he was the god of thunder or something.

Still, he was effortlessly repelled by Jun. She tore the spear from him and then struck him in the chest with both palms. The force of the impact lifted his feet off the ground. It probably would have separated his torso from the rest of his body if not for the armor.

"Look at him fly," said Jimbo.

"He was probably here to lend a hand," said Kazuya. Not that he cared, just commenting.

But Jun hadn't realized it. She blushed right to the tips of her ears.

"Oh."

And that's all she could say.

There was nothing more to be done, so the fight continued with just the three of them. Better that way, actually—they didn't need anyone else. Kazuya didn't even need those two, but well, he wasn't about to throw them out either.

Azazel roared.

For just a moment, his speed doubled. That was enough. He managed to grab Kazuya by the ankle, lifting him upside down like a child's toy. Kazuya struggled in his grip, flapping his wings, firing the beam from his third eye without aiming.

He couldn't slip away or break free.

He didn't need to. Jimbo came rolling in, sweeping Azazel's legs out from under him. The monster stumbled forward. He probably would have regained his balance without issue, but Jun was there to take advantage of that moment of weakness.

She practically flew in and kicked him square in the mouth.

Azazel staggered back through a wall. When he fell, the debris piled on top of him, sliding around and over the spiked glass.

Meanwhile, Kazuya landed with as much grace as he could muster.

It wasn't the end of the fight, not by a long shot, but it was satisfying to see him like that. More surprised than hurt. Humiliated, in a way. He didn't think any of them could put up real resistance.

It was still too early, but in time, they would make him show fear.

The three of them charged Azazel again at the same time. The clash would have been truly epic, if not for the fact that, once again, they were rudely interrupted by someone landing in their midst, the shockwave sending the four of them flying apart. Well, now five.

Five, exactly.

"We're saved!" someone shouted.

Kazuya didn't find it so pleasant.

"That bastard."

"What happened?"

"He split me in half. I got better." Yeah, it was that golden-skinned asshole who had defeated him with a single blow. By luck, surely. Only by luck.

Apparently, Azazel didn't like the golden Ken doll either. And yes, he could call him a Ken doll. In that tight white suit, well, you'd be able to tell if he had anything between his... Not that Kazuya had looked that closely or anything. He wasn't gay.

In any case, Azazel seemed surprised, even a little scared. Kazuya had been worried he'd have to deal with both problems at once, but now it seemed like that wouldn't be necessary.

"What are you?" Azazel demanded.

However, the golden man remained silent.

"What the hell are you?"

"Not much of a talker, it seems," Kazuya said. He wasn't sure if the guy was physically capable of talking, to be honest. But he had no problem hearing. Kazuya knew that because the man turned his head mechanically, locking his dagger-like eyes on him. "Ah, I see you recognize me. Hello, asshole."

"And you? Have you completely forgotten about me?"

Kazuya looked around several times, feeling as though he had somehow heard a voice that didn't belong to any of those present. Of course, he wasn't counting the background characters. But why would a background character step forward? That's what they existed for—to stay in the damn background.

"What was that?"

He wasn't addressing anyone in particular, so Jimbo was the one who answered.

"The voice of your conscience?" Jimbo responded to his question with another, not very convinced, and rightly so.

"I don't think so. We haven't seen each other in decades."

The little golden one joined the fight. Now it was five against four, and as much as it stung, he had to admit that the golden one was the most dangerous person here. If it was even a person, which he seriously doubted.

I'm not very human either, he thought, so that's no excuse.

Maybe not today, maybe not this year, but someday. He would add it to his list of things to do.

As if that weren't enough, unlike their exceptionally brief fight before, the golden one wasn't using rays of the same color as him, but was fighting hand-to-hand.

It didn't take long for him to realize that, on top of everything, he was copying his fighting style.

Not imitating. Copying it perfectly, without any training.

He clicked his tongue. He wasn't human, there was no doubt about that. It was one of the most frustrating things he'd ever seen in his life. There wasn't a shred of doubt about that either.

Azazel struck the ground. Crystal spikes bloomed in a radius of six hundred and seventy degrees, but they mostly chased Jun, who seemed to dance as she nimbly dodged them. That was his girl.

She ended up cornered against the wall, and he thought he'd have to go rescue her, risking looking like he cared.

But he didn't have to.

Jimbo, like a true gentleman, came rolling in, shattering the spikes that had trapped her into a thousand pieces as he passed. Jun could have done the same, of course; she had more than enough strength. But not as quickly.

"Good boy," he thought. "Good boy."

He almost forgot that the damn bastard was copying his fighting style. He hadn't even invented it himself, but it still bothered him. The lack of effort. It wasn't even a matter of talent, the guy was cheating, plain and simple.

Which didn't matter, he knew. He didn't need to focus on that right now.

The final battle against this monster. He didn't need Azazel's power. The power from the original source of the Devil Gene. But if he defeated him and absorbed it, it would definitely be easier to take down Heihachi. He didn't know what would happen to him, how he would transform, but Kazuya wasn't easily frightened. His body was more demonic than human. He had no doubt he could withstand Azazel's power.

And if that meant he had to pretend he needed help and fight side by side with that walking Oscar statue, well, he'd do it. He would be patient for now.

The bastard landed every punch into Azazel's body and tore off chunks of flesh, so to speak, with ease. Even so, Azazel didn't slow down. Quite the opposite. Sensing his defeat was approaching, he was finally getting serious. Drawing strength from sources he hadn't had to tap into for millennia.

Kazuya couldn't read that damn thing's mind, but he was sure that's what was happening anyway.

He wasn't going to let that statue have all the glory.

This fight wouldn't mean anything if, in the end, it came down to a creature like Azazel crushing another of his kind.

After what felt like an eternity, the moment came.

The shark smelled blood in the water.

I've got you, Kazuya thought, smiling savagely. The truth was, he'd had help, but he wasn't about to let that spoil his mood now.

Besides, the honor of the final blow would be his.

He flipped Azazel around, grabbing him by the tail with both arms and spinning him around and around, like a top.

Then he threw him into the sky.

Kazuya shot up like a bullet. His takeoff cracked the ground beneath his feet. He closed in on Azazel with great speed, electricity roaring in his iron fist. The stake that he drove into the beast's heart pierced its body until he felt something like a heart in his hand.

"No. No. Impossible!" protested the first devil.

A very cliché way to leave this world, but that's how it was. Refusing to accept defeat, screaming, helpless.

Azazel exploded, finally dying, and his power became part of him. That allowed Kazuya to transform into an even more superior being. The ultimate form of the Devil. Kazuya smiled amidst the sky painted black with Azazel's ashes. The eye of the storm? He felt like the storm itself now.

Kazuya landed in the midst of those celebrating the victory. His victory.

Jun smiled at him, Jimbo applauded very enthusiastically, and a few strangers cheered and filled the space. The golden guy just looked at him, but he'd take that as some kind of congratulations.

He wasn't used to others celebrating his victories. It was a strange feeling, though not entirely unpleasant.

With Jun, he wasn't as eloquent as in his thoughts.

"Jun, I feel like we actually had sex. Or even better."

"Shut up." He figured it made sense she'd be a little offended—just a bit. "Do you think that form turns me on?"

"I don't know. Does it?"

"Okay, it's true. A little. Just a little. Don't start getting cocky, or I'll punch you." She shook a fist as if she needed to make things clear, or as if she hadn't given him thousands of examples in the last few minutes, against Azazel.

"He's completely forgotten about me… about us." A strange voice.

Kazuya looked around frantically. Whatever it was, it escaped even his True Devil eyes. Come on, probably just a trick of the mind, a bad illusion.

"What was that? Whatever, hey, golden boy." He pointed at the guy with his chin. His defeat still stung, but... "That was good. Well fought."

He hoped it wouldn't go to his damn head.

That wasn't all. He could have said nothing, just turned around and left, but he felt like it. Just because. And because Kazuya was Kazuya, that was reason enough.

"I've only seen you twice, but it seems like all you have on your agenda is tearing people apart. So why don't you do it more often?" Kazuya shrugged. A simple piece of advice, yes, so simple he didn't understand how it hadn't occurred to this guy before. Except for the obvious reason, of course. It was obvious the guy wasn't the brightest—still had the lights on, but barely, hadn't paid the bills in a long time. Or something like that. Metaphors weren't his thing. "Maybe it'd get rid of that sour face, like you're sucking on a lemon. Clearly, helping people doesn't give you the same satisfaction, and why would it? They're all worms."

Jun gave him a pat on the back. Except "pat" wasn't the right word.

Kazuya heroically suppressed the urge to grimace.

"You give such good advice, Kazuya."

"I know, love. I know."

"Eh? I'll let it slide this time."

What for? He decided not to ask in case it was one of those things he was supposed to magically know. Women were a mystery not worth exploring too deeply, or you'd suddenly and frequently slam your head against a brick wall.

The golden man snapped his fingers.

At that moment, right in front of him, a tear opened in space. A portal.

He could see the volcano, the monster, and the fight that awaited him on the other side. But Heihachi didn't seem to be able to see him. It was like one of those one-way mirrors. Fitting, the isolated criminal in the room, awaiting the verdict.

"Oh. Finally, a way back home. That was an entertaining vacation. Come on, Jun, Jimbo."

He started walking toward the portal with something vaguely resembling a smile on his face and his hands on the shoulders of his traveling companions.

"Wait for me!"

That voice again, he thought. Maybe I'm just dehydrated.

Northern Lights, Part 4: FIN

Epilogue

Father against son. Demon against human. A feud written in blood and spanning many decades of suffering. Generation after generation. Here and now, on this volcano, it could finally come to an end.

"Finally, Kazuya. My nipples were going to fall off. Do you have any idea what it's like to spend days on a volcano without a shirt? Not much better than with one."

Kazuya frowned.

He wasn't taking their climactic encounter seriously enough. Well, whatever. At this point, he just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. His unexpected trip to another world had lasted too long.

"Hello, father-in-law," said Jun next to him, waving at him with one hand.

Not eagerly, not willing or happy, but doing her duty, so to speak. Still, Kazuya didn't like it. But it wouldn't be a problem for long. Because Heihachi would die in terrible agony. He'd get what he deserved.

Soon, very soon.

He felt it in his bones. Like a pleasant premonition for a change.

"Hello," Heihachi replied casually. He didn't seem surprised at all that Jun had survived. Maybe because he wasn't, or maybe because he hadn't even heard about her death in the first place. It wouldn't surprise him either. "Who's that kid? Did you two manage to reproduce again?"

I wish, he thought.

"Oh, yeah. Ciara," Kazuya said. "That's right."

"Let's finish this once and for all. Agreed?"

"Agre—"

Kazuya fell silent, suddenly and abruptly.

It wasn't an overreaction. A golden ray flew in from who knows where, obliterating his mortal enemy before he could blink.

He couldn't believe it, but Heihachi was dead, just like that.

So many years training, preparing. So many years planning his revenge, only for it to end this way. Without him having anything to do with it, and without knowing what the hell had just happened. It was too soon for him to connect the dots, no matter how obvious the connection was.

So Kazuya just dropped to his knees.

And he screamed until he lost his voice and pounded the ground, cracking the rock and sending magma flying over his head, and he was so, so furious that he didn't even feel the heat or the pain.

"No!"

In Awe of the Power: END

More like, "In Awe of the Shitposting."

Yes, the implication is that Kazuya convinces Scion to start the Gold Morning a few years earlier.

Happy ending?