Note to all readers, this is a fic with little to no substance, other than being, as one had so finely put it, 'a fan-servicey battle fic'. If that continues to intrigue you, then continue on.
This piece was originally a writing exercise I concoted for myself - and so far I am having mixed feelings. I thinkit feels a little choppy at times and I swear it became a little boring to write as I was finishing. OTOH, it is my first piece that I have actually finished, so of course I'm feeling a little proud.
Anywho, feel free to read and review. And thanks again for picking this up!
Disclaimer: Blazblue belongs to Aksys Games and Tsukihime to Type-Moon. Ergo, I own neither.
Now, Epiren proudly presents: Lion & Ogre
A weeks journey from the closest known city was a dark forest untouched by Seithr – the deadly grains that populated the world after The Dark War. Flora thrived there as they had done in the distant past, full of life and green – but no animal dared lived in its woods, and sought instead their deaths, or fates worse than that, in the Seithr contaminated wasteland.
There had been adventurers and settlers that sought those woods for food, for clean water, for refuge that was unavailable to those who did not live in one of the Hierarchical Cities.
Not one of them returned. Of course there were the few that did, but they did not truly. Their minds had been fractured badly, leaving them broken shells of their former selves, babbling about red-haired monsters.
"Toh!"
In an otherwise silent forest the roar was an explosive bang. Like a ghost, a large man raced up a thick tree silently before planting himself on a thin tree branch. He drew himself into his signature stance, hands on his hips and his legs wide apart, and took in a large breath.
"YOUNG MASTER! COMRADES! WHERE ARE YOU?"
If before it was a bang, then the lion's roar was like an explosive blast. It shook the nearby canopy just from its intensity, but received no other response. Still, he was not known as the Hero of Love and Justice if he gave up so easily.
"YOUNG MASTER! COMRADES! MY FELLOWS! THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR, FOR IT IS I, BANG SHISHIGAMI!"
The leaves shook and trembled before the lion, but no other response was made. Scratching his head in frustration, the Lion of Ikaruga muttered aloud, "Maybe I'm not close enough?"
Having recently traveled to his former home, the ninja had been waylaid with rumors that his lord's son was among the living – and in this distant forest nonetheless. He spared no time and expense; appointing his senior apprentice as the Hero of Kagutsuchi in his place, Bang had immediately sped off towards the rumored woods.
It was a journey fraught with dangers and daring, both from the Seithr-mutated monsters and brigands that preyed on hapless travelers. Which meant that it had been a rather boring two weeks.
"Maybe the young lord isn't here..." he pondered aloud. He had failed to save his former liege and thus was indebted to serve Lord Tenjou's son.
The forest wasn't as big as it was rumored, but Bang had spent the better half of the week exploring. He had nearly mapped out the entire forest, save for a few spots, and had seen neither hide nor hair of another person.
Perhaps... if the young master really is not here, then should I give up...?
"NO!" Bang roared, stomping heavily on the thin branch he stood on. Whether it was by its own sturdiness or just plain luck it did not break. "It is too early to give up! I clearly have not looked hard enough!" Pulling back both fists, Bang shouted, "I will find you Young Lord, or my name is not Bang Shishigami!" Illusionary flames bloomed into existence from behind him, but they largely went unnoticed.
"Toh!" With another mighty shout, Bang leaped off the branch. He would find the young lord, no matter the cost!
"Young Lord!"
"Comrades!"
"If you can hear me, please send me a sign!" Bang ran swiftly through the silent forest, pausing every few minutes to shout. Night was falling and while the forest as a whole was understandably 'easy to traverse,' he knew that it would become far, far more dangerous. Waiting the customary pause, Bang shouted his last for the night, "YOUNG MASTER! COMRADES––––!"
A star erupted.
For a moment, his vision had shut itself off as an overpowering light compared to the sun itself came into existence. The trees shuddered and trembled, and their weakest and youngest fell to the crushing wind. An oppressive heat rolled over him, licking his body and coiling around him until his body gleamed with sweat.
"Wh-what is––––?"
Even as he asked, the warrior that was him recognized what it was instantly. It was of course something he was immensely familiar with, though not on this scale.
It was pure, unadulterated power.
Dumbstruck, Bang lowered his arms that had instinctively covered his face and swiveled to the side, turning around as if he were clockwork.
There. Not even half a kilometer away, a new crimson brightly lit the forest.
...
"YAHAA!" He shouted and jumped a few good meters in delight. Why wouldn't he be? He did it. He DID it! A wave of ecstasy and pride washed over him. After so many years, he finally found them!
Unable to wait any longer, Bang sprinted towards the fire that had answered his call.
But even so, this is excessive. Bang raised his scarf over his nose, Surely a smaller signal would have sufficed?
It was as if he had entered hell.
Crimson.
Burning burning burning hot. Flames taller than himself ravaged the trees and undergrowth, burning all until there was naught but ash and cinder.
Red.
Several tense minutes passed by. Ever onwards, Bang surged forward, carefully weaving around the flickering flames. His destination was clear even though he had no clue where he was heading. Ever onwards to the source, ever onwards to the center.
And he passed into a clearing.
––––––––– There was a man with an eyepatch.
He stood alone in the center. Flames were scattered here and there, but the man paid no mind. His single eye was focused entirely on the ninja.
Even at this distance, Bang was instantly aware
it was not human.
"Excuse me," Bang began politely, drawing down his scarf. Whether or not it was human made no difference; after all, his first disciple was not fully human either. And more importantly, this one knew where the young lord was! "Lord Tenjou's son was said to be sheltered in these woods along with the rest of the ––––––––––– clan. As you are no doubt aware, I am Bang Shishigami, loyal servant to our former and current lieges!"
There was never any doubt that the man before him was related to his clan. Bang beamed a smile at the man with an eyepatch, waiting for his response.
"–––––––––"
There was none.
Perhaps he can't hear me over the flames?Drawing a deep breath, Bang repeated himself, "Excuse me––––––"
It came with the sound of the cutting wind.
With a surprised shout, Bang evaded the gale by hopping to the side. "What are you doing?" He barked out; where he had been moments prior, was the man with his hand outstretched.
"––––––––"
For a moment, Bang puzzled over the other's lack of words; and then he grinned as he understood. "Ah, were you posted as the sentinel?" He lightly pounded a fist into his other hand, "Though my appearance must have surprised you, I mean no harm. As I was saying before––––"
With laser like intensity its gaze beamed across the clearing to refocus on him. Its hand was drawn back for another attack, though this time its fingers were positioned to resemble talons. And then
it disappeared from sight.
––––– Fast.
Far faster than before, the man rushed towards the ninja.
"Hold on a second," Bang shouted as he leapt aside again. "There is nothing to fear, for it its I, Bang Shishigami, loyal attendant to our late master!"
But as if he was unaware that his target had evaded, the man's attack struck a tree. The man should have been writhing in pain. Only a pair of cloth gloves protected his hands – and his attack had struck the tree with enough force to break his own limb. But after the initial smack, there was a soft groan
coming from the tree.
The man's attack was not a punch. Its hand after all had not been clenched into a fist, but positioned into a claw. Thus, the man's attack was not a punch but a grab. And upon contact the man tightened his grip, unaware that his target had disappeared.
The tree was a meter thick. But regardless of the thickness, the tree came crashing down.
With an almost contemptuous speed, the silent man approached the ninja.
A shiver ran through Bang. The man's aura, his predatory stalk, the show of unnatural strength, they all made his instincts cry out, This man is dangerous. RUN.
Perhaps it was because he was focused on mastering his instincts. Or was it its speed? No matter the reason, Bang did not see the demonic attack until a moment later. He twisted savagely on one foot, spinning to the side to avoid the sudden attack.
"Toh!" Bang shouted as he flipped into the air, "Bang-style Shuriken!"
Carried on his belt were four different types of shuriken: the Venom-Laced nail, the Explosive-Tag nail, a regular set of throwing knives. The fourth, and the one he had used, was the only 'non-lethal' shuriken he had on his body: the Web-Trap nail. As its name suggested, the nail burst on contact and released the countless white webs stored. Unable to react in time, the man was soon covered in a thin film of webbing with the strength of steel wires.
"There," Bang announced, dusting the legs of his pants, "now that you have stopped, perhaps now you will listen. My name is Bang Shishigami, loyal attendant of the ––––––– clan, survivor of the Ikaruga Civil War, and self appointed hero of the Hierarchical City Kagutsu–––––?"
He ducked instinctively – and was forced to evade the left fist with a flip.
"Just!" Bang cried out, dodging the right hand that scythed towards his head by a hairsbreadth.
"Hold!" Its left palm struck out.
"Onforasecond!" Bang leaped over the hand and, using its shoulder as a leaping stone, tactically retreated to a safe distance away. He stared confidently at the man. "If words could not convince you of my allegiance," Bang announced, as the illusionary flames reared up behind him... actually, they were real flames, but they went largely ignored, "then perhaps my fists will reveal the truth!" He punctuated his statement by colliding his two fists together.
The man instantly charged.
––––– Thirty meters. A distance that could be covered in less than two seconds for either of them. Bang lowered himself into his fighting stance and waited.
One second.
–––––––––– Fast.
Even so, the man was fast. Far faster than nearly everyone he knew, Bang decided with a critical eye. Perhaps only three people, himself included, were faster than the charging man. Already, His demonic hand was reared back for another strike.
Two seconds.
The hand lashed out with the force of a hurricane! But Bang was already in motion; dodging the strike at the last possible moment, he performed his counterattack.
"Burning Heart!"
The armor on his arms flared with a mystic light and flames snaked out from its base. It coiled around his limb like a serpent, gathering onto his fist as he laid out a devastating uppercut–––––!
"–––––––what, are, you?"
Bang whispered in horrified surprise.
Burning Heart was his signature move. It was an attack that had literally sent the Red Devil flying into the air – but on the man before him, it had elected a small flinch. And only that.
But the monster in guise of a man turned to look at him with surprised eyes too.
The demonic arm lashed out a moment later. Bang hurled his body to the side, putting as much distance as he could between the two. He glanced down at his fist; it was in reasonable condition, if one got past the small rivulets of blood flowing down between his fingers. But it throbbed with pain. Not enough to distract him, it was enough to remind him that it was there.
Silently, he was charging once more.
Bang's lips tightened into a thin, grim line.
This is going to be hard.
"Bang's Heavenly Double Palm Thrust!"
Brilliant orange flames sprouted over his limbs in the visage of a lion, and combined the twin strikes impacted cleanly on his temple.
"–––––––!" He gave a voiceless roar as he swiveled around; his opened hand was already launched, hurtling through through the air towards him. Gripping the man's head with both his hands, Bang vaulted high over the outstretched limb. "Bang-style Shuriken!" He cried out, launching three of his nails. They exploded on contact, raising a small dust cloud.
Even as the ninja dropped to the ground, the man was already in motion, slowly walking out of the cloud. He bore no wounds so to speak of, though his clothes were roughly singed and damaged, courtesy of the explosives and blades Bang had thrown. Said ninja had long since given up on non-lethal force. Not that it would make any difference; not even the deadliest of his attacks were able to wound.
Though... there are those two.
Given the inhuman, almost demonic, nature of the man's flesh, there were perhaps only two techniques in his repertoire that could harm it. But he was forbidden from the first one by his former lord.
And the second was forbidden to him, for it would inevitably break his Master's teachings.
Despite the man's insane speed, his charge was relatively easy to dodge once one got used to his supernatural speed. The man was not an experienced fighter, Bang had decided after their first exchange of blows. Brilliant orange flames coiled around his leg even as he called out, "Burning Heart!" Together, the combination smashed into the man's ankle.
The man did not even falter. He spun around easily, the recent attack not even bothering him in the slightest – but the ninja had already retreated behind a fallen tree. Though Bang was slightly faster and more experienced, the sentinel was far stronger and tougher.
In a head-on fight, he would lose hands down. And so, he opted on a hit-an-run strategy.
The one eyed man leaped over Bang's cover. With a silent glare, his demonic right lashed out once more. Brushing it inches away from his head with his left hand, Bang countered with his own attack. "Bang's Unstoppable Double Palm Thrust!"
When the sentinel had struck, he had done so in a precarious position – so when the hero's twin palms smashed into his steel-like flesh, he had stumbled briefly from the impact.
"Shishigami-Style Secret Techinque," Bang roared, driving his shoulder into his the other mans' chest, "Fatal Eruption!"
A flowing series of attacks pummeled the man – strike followed strike, before Bang finished the form by hurling the man into a nearby tree. A great cloud of ash and sawdust rose up from the impact. For several moments Bang stood in his fighting stance, ready for another bout of heavy confrontation.
But nothing escaped the settling dust.
"..." Bang slowly lowered his raised hands with a worried expression. "Young man! Are you among the living?"
It came with the sound of the cutting wind.
––––– Pain.
A hot, throbbing feeling his stomach
followed by a solid thud at his back.
–––––––– Pain.
Bang weakly looked down at his stomach.
Vermillion. A small portion of his stomach had caved in into a bloody paste.
In an instant, the man with one eye erupted from the side and slammed his demonic right hand into Bang. His instincts had saved him once again; with a subtle kick, he relaunched himself away from the thrust. It was not enough to dodge the strike entirely – but his body was saved from being spilt into two.
His back was to a tree. He was wounded with an incapacitating wound. And the sentinel was approaching with his arm already drawn back.
"I'm sorry Master," he muttered to himself as he staggered up, "your faithful attendant is going to break his word."
The sentinel charged. Ten meters. It was distance that could be covered in less than a second for either of them. And strictly speaking, it would be near impossible for Bang to initiate a counter.
But it was enough.
His arms, outstretched like a windmill, rotated in opposite directions before he drew them back to his center. Power pulsed from his core; his armored boots and greaves flared alive with a mystic light, burning brighter than the flames surrounding them.
The demonic hand was thrust out just as Bang Shishigami commanded
"FU-RIN-KA-ZAN!"
And for the third time that day, the sun bloomed into existence.
A minute protrusion stuck out of the golden glow. "Burning Heart!"
With one blow, it forced the one eyed man to skid back from the impact. The second came from behind, far faster than the man could react. The third struck his knee from the side, forcing him to fall onto his knee. The fourth came at his temple. The fifth went for his stomach. Over and over the flying attacks smashed all over the man's body. Droplets of blood would spurt out from newly created wounds, but the man gave no cry of pain. Even as his hair was becoming more and more stained with crimson, and as red began to well in his eye, the sentinel continued to endure it silently.
Bang eyed him critically even as he continued to strike. 'Fu-rin-ka-zen' was his 'ultimate' power up, nearly doubling his speed and attack power for an indefinite amount of time – but it was forbidden for a reason. Everything has a price – and his power up was no different. Through the cultivation of the body's awareness and receptors, this technique awakened the body 's natural ability to gather Seithr.
In short, it transformed the wielder's body into an Ars Magus.
Perhaps he had a higher threshold for the stuff, as he had found no changes when using Fu-rin-ka-zen – but he knew that should he overestimate his own limits, he would die. Or live as that black shadow beneath Kagutsuchi... though from what he had seen, Miss Litchi seemed to have a special affection for that thing so maybe...
No. He would not tempt it.
The man's hair was entirely soaked with blood, and his eyes were little more than red orbs. Perhaps I should ease down? Bang thought, charging towards the man once more. … But maybe it would be best if we start over after I knock him out. His battle-lust is already preventing him from listening to me... so maybe a quick nap should calm him down?
He would –––––
→ launch his final strike and see if the sentinel is willing to listen.
→ Perform his ultimate attack! It's the only move that is guaranteed to work!
There was only one choice from the start! A brief moment away, Bang readied his final assault. With a practiced movement, he unslung the nail strapped to his back–––––
It was his own experience that led to his mistake. For less than a fraction of a second, his eyes had momentarily flickered to the metal in his hand. It was an unconscious action, one that would steel his mind for the coming result. But it meant that he was no longer watching his opponent.
And he immediately stopped. No,
He wasimmediately stopped.
In that moment, the man had rushed up to meet him... and now was holding Bang by his throat.
Disregarding that he had completely crushed Bang's throat, he continued to glare at the ninja with crimson red orbs; a snarl twisted his lips before he lifted up Bang even higher into the air.
With the two of them as the center, the vermillion red flames encircled them perfectly. And it was then, that the monster spoke his first and last words.
"–––––DAI-ENJOU!"
The alternate truth is yet to be found