*2 years ago*

"BASTARD!"

*CLANG!*

The Black Swordsman grunted as his enemy's blade came crashing against his own. He didn't expect to find much when he came to Australia, and he ended up finding an entire REVOCS factory. Naturally, he attacked it, but he was further caught off guard when one of his former comrades from Ares' mercenary group was working there.

Tim Daniels was one of the biggest meatheads Gus had ever met. This guy used to give little Gus swirlies whenever he felt like picking on the poor kid. He always had the personality of a schoolyard bully, despite the fact that the dumbass flunked out in fourth grade.

"You filthy traitor! After everything he did for you, you killed him!"

"He didn't do shit."

"You ungrateful little-"

Tim was cut short as Gus elbowed him in the face, crushing his nose.

I'm not little anymore, dicknips.

"GRAAAAAH!"

Tim began to wail like a kid who just dropped their ice cream cone, clutching his flattened, bloody nose as he tried to process what just happened.

This moment of hesitation was exactly what Gus was looking for.

He swung his sword upwards to gain momentum, and then brought the flat part of his blade crashing down into his opponents head. Tim went down like a sack of potatoes.

"You're not worth killing, Tim, so I think some jail time would suit you instead."

Gus left an anonymous tip for the Austrailian authorities as he tied Tim's hands together. After Ares' demise, his group and their illegal activities had been exposed to the world, making all surviving members international criminals. To think, the name "Band of the Hawk" used to mean something.

Gus watched as Tim was carried of by the police. Once the police had left, Gus opened up a panel on his mechanical arm and pressed a button, and the REVOCS factory went up in flames. The employees had already evacuated, so there was no need to beat around the bush.

Suddenly, something pink came bursting from the flames and rushed towards Gus with alarming speed. Gus barely had time to roll to the side as a blonde girl with pigtails and a pink dress slashed at the air where Gus was with a blade that resembled a...sewing needle?

Oh shit, it's Barbie.

The girl turned around, her big blue eyes bursting with excitement and...Something else. Gus knew murderous intent when he saw it, and considering that this girl moved too fast for his eyes to see, he could only assume she was enhanced.

Gus knew that this was a fight that he could not win, yet.

As Pinky charged once again, Gus activated a small canister in his arm, releasing a smoke grenade which engulfed the area before he fled the scene.

As Gus ran into the woods, he heard the girl yell something.

"You can't hide from us forever Gus! I'll find you eventually!"

How did she know my name?

*Present*

"Wake up, sleepyhead!"

Gus woke up to find Mako inches from his face.

"Guh!"

Startled, Gus rolled out of his bed and slammed his head on his nightstand.

"Ow! Dammit!"

" Whoops, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! "

Gus rubbed his head as he struggled to get up, when he was finally able to process what was going on, he could hear two things. One was Mako frantically apologizing, and the other was Ryuko's loud laughter.

He looked over to see that Ryuko was doubled over near his workbench, chuckling as though she just saw Satsuki Kiryuin dressed as a pickle.

"Alright, laugh it up. "

"Oh God I'm dying!" Ryuko managed to say in between her wheezes , "The Big, Bad, Black Swordsman just smashed his head into a-" Ryuko began laughing even harder.

Gus sighed.

What a way to start the day.

*Later*

Gus was swinging his sword up and down. He had tied weights to it in order to give himself a challenge. He had to train his body like never before if he wanted to wear the Berserker armor and defeat Zodd.

"I'm glad to see you are taking this seriously."

Gus didn't need to look to see who it was, he already knew that voice.

"What do you want, Zodd?"

"I wanted to make sure you were going to hold up your end of the bargain."

Gus stopped swinging and turned to face the apostle.

"I don't back down from a challenge."

Zodd smiled, a rather disturbing sight.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

Zodd morphed into his apostle form and unfurled his wings, but before taking off he turned to Gus and said, "Since it appears as though you are trustworthy, as a sign of good faith I will give you a piece of valuable information. "

"Which is?"

"I heard talk around the academy that Sanageyama of the Elite Four is going to challenge Matoi to a fight today. As you are her bodyguard, I figured this would be useful information for you. "

Gus looked at the apostle, perplexed. Wasn't Zodd's job to kill Ryuko? Or had he just abandoned his duty for a chance to fight the descendant of the original Black Swordsman? Either way, the apostle appeared to have a code of honor that even Gus had to respect.

"Thank you, I'll take it into account."

Zodd nodded, before flying away towards an unknown destination.

"So...I guess I'm kicking some Elite Four ass today, huh?"

Gus turned to see Ryuko walking up to him.

"You heard all that?"

"That guy has a voice like a foghorn, I'd be surprised if Satsuki Kiriyuin didn't hear it from that pedestal of hers."

"Fair enough, although I'm coming with you to your fight."

"What, afraid I'll lose or something?"

"Careful, being overconfident could lead to that."

"Me and Senketsu can beat him."

" I'm not saying you can't, I'm saying that you need to be a bit more cautious. "

"I will, don't worry your pretty little head about it, after all it did take quite a beating from that nightstand."

"Oh no, you are NOT holding that over my head."

"Why would I hold it over your head when you can smash into it headfirst? "

"I'm going to shred your shoes."

*The Dojo*

"FINISHING MOVE: SEN I SOSHITSU!"

Gus had a huge grin as he watched Sanageyama's naked body careening through the air. Ryuko has this one in the bag. He had to admit, blinding him with pieces of Senketsu was a pretty clever move, and there was nothing Gus loved more than watching self-assured bastards like Sanageyama get what was coming to them.

"You did it, Ryuko! You beat one of the Elite Four!"

Gus could only smile as he watched Mako cheer Ryuko on. That girl is quite the motivator. Ryuko's eyes scanned the crowd, before she eventually looked up at the rafters. Their eyes met, and Gus looked happier than Ryuko had ever seen him.

I didn't even know he could smile like that.

Ryuko returned the smile, although she looked a bit red in the face.

"No, I'm not done yet!"

Ryuko turned towards Sanageyama, who was standing there buck naked brandishing his bamboo sword.

"I can still fight, come at me!"

I knew Sanageyama was a swordsman, but who knew he carried a little combat knife too?

Gus snorted, he'd have to tell that one to Ryuko later.

Suddenly a flurry of whip strikes struck Sanageyama, bringing him to his knees.

"Don't be pathetic, Sanageyama, you have DISGRACED the Elite Four!" Gamagoori howled.

Gus had to disagree, if anything Sanageyama was showing his resolve. He was willing to fight without his main source of power, which was pretty admirable in Gus' opinion. If only the guy wasn't a fascist, otherwise he might have had Gus' respect.

As the crowd filtered out, Gus began crawling towards an air duct so he could leave unseen. Before he left, he could've sworn he saw a man with a white mask staring at him from the Elite Tour's private box, but when he looked a second time no one was there.

Odd.

*The Corpse's point of view*

He was here.

The man he had been looking for was just sitting in the rafters during the entire fight, Satsuki's so-called Elite Four completely oblivious to his presence.

What an utter disgrace.

Satsuki and her cronies are nothing but incompetent rolls if they can't notice that the Black Swordsman is right under their noses, and he was a fool to rely on them. When he put out the hit on Matoi, he knew full well that Gus would take the job. How could he not? The old man helped him out quite a bit, and Gus always was too righteous for his own good. After Nui delt with the old fart, she found plans for a mechanical arm that functioned as a Swiss army knife of sorts. It made too much sense to be a coincidence, after all, he did cut Gus' arm off.

Ares' rotted face grimaced. This man had not only taken his life, but he completely destroyed his legacy. He had arrested all of his loyal men, burned his camp to the ground, and desecrated Ares' grave! All over some stupid little girl?! And this piece of dog shit still has the audacity to smile?!

Ares briskly walked towards the exit. Gus had taken everything from him, all because of some stupid family. But now, he was back. Now, he had the element of surprise. He would get his revenge, and he will reclaim everything Gus had stolen from him. He was named after the god of war for a reason, hell, in Ares' eyes he is the god of war. After all, being an undead apostle had it's benefits, and Gus will never know what hit him.

*Back to Gus*

Gus was going for a walk.

If the slums weren't so shitty, it might have been pleasant.

But since he was wearing the Berserker armor, he just felt angry.

He had begun to wear the armor during small intervals of time that slowly increased with each day. As a result of this, Gus has been building an immunity to the armor 's effects, and he has been sparring with the Skull Knight and Ryuko in order to control his aggression during fights.

He had to say, he is getting pretty good at managing his anger. Soon, he might even be able to wear it indefinitely. The only thing Gus is concerned about is bleeding out, because apparently that's how the Skull Knight died when the armor belonged to him. Needless to say, Gus still had a lot of work to do.

Gus rounded the corner and strode towards the Mankanshoku household when he suddenly tripped on a sign.

God dammit!

Gus began ferociously beating the sign, before remembering that he still had the Berserker armor on. As he cooled down, he read what was left of the sign, which said: "chalene."

I'm assuming that before I beat the shit out of it the sign said "challenge."

Gus pondered what the sign meant before he pieces of together.

Sanageyama wants a rematch.

And since Ryuko wasn't laughing at him when he fell, he could only assume she already accepted it.

Gus began beating the sign some more, yelling "SHIT" with every punch, before racing off towards the battle.

*The Hillside*

"MEN, DOU, KOTE!"

"MEN, DOU, KOTE!"

"MEN, DOU, KOTE!"

"MEN!"

And with that final strike, Sanageyama smacked Ryuko so hard on the head that he left her half buried in a crater. Ryuko could only make weird guttural sounds as Sanageyama's attack had taken everything out of her.

"And so, it ends"

Sanageyama raised his bamboo sword up in the air for the finishing blow, when a sign crashed into the side of his helmet.

"What?!"

Sanageyama quickly turned towards the disturbance and raised his sword defensively as the Black Swordsman came bearing down on him like an angel of death. Wood met steel, Goku uniform met Berserker armor as Gus and Sanageyama locked in combat. Ryuko stared up in shock as she watched the two swordsmen duke it out.

"Run, Ryuko! I'll-grrgh-hold him off!"

"Not while you're wearing that thing! Are you crazy?!"

"I'm fine! I'm in complete control! "

Ryuko slowly got out of the hole and began to run, then she hesitated and looked back towards Gus, before a determined look came across her face and she ran off.

"Damn it! This was NOT your fight mercenary!"

"It is when my friends are involved! "

Sanageyama and Gus continued to trade blows, one thing that Sanageyama was flooded about was that the Black Swordsman was keeping up with him. He had heard that the mercenary was a spectacular fighter, in fact he had always wanted to challenge him. But he didn't have a Goku uniform, and yet he was keeping up with one!

What the hell is he?!

Gus, on the other hand, was trying desperately to match Sanageyama's strikes. While the Berserker armor gave him an edge, Sanageyama was still just a bit faster than him. However, speed is one thing, power and brains are completely different. Sanageyama's sword hurt, but it was still bamboo, which can be brittle under the right circumstances. Bamboo will dry out rather quickly when there is no moisture in the air, and Gus just happened to have a fool that can do that.

Gus retracted his mechanical hand and brought out his gun barrel. Now that Sanageyama was blind, he could use that to his advantage. While Sanageyama can still hear the gun loading, it would be impossible to predict what he was going to fire. Sure enough, the audio due caused Sanageyama to react defensively, bringing his sword out in front of him, ready to deflect whatever Gus was going to shoot at him. But Gus was never aiming at Sanageyama, his target was always the sword, and now he had a clear shot.

Sanageyama heard the gun fire, and felt the projectile coming. It didn't seem to be anything that could break his guard, and it was a physical object, so he swatted the projectile with his sword, only to hear the sound of glass breaking and a sudden change of temperature. It was only then that Sanageyama realized his mistake.

He had just hit a bottle of liquid nitrogen, and now his sword was covered in it. Now, with his sword flash-frozen, the Black Swordsman could easily shatter it.

Gus charged towards Sanageyama, and swung downwards with tremendous force, only for Sanageyama to disappear right before his eyes.

Shit.

"MEN! DOU! KOTE! MEN! DOU! KOTE! MEN! DOU! KOTE! MEN! DOU! KOTE!"

Gus took multiple strikes to the back, dropping his sword in the process, before turning around and bringing his arms up in a defensive postition, and began blocking Sanageyama's attacks using his arms.

It hurts like hell, but it works!

Suddenly, stars started bursting from Sanageyama's uniform, and his uniform reverted back into it's normal form. He had overheated his Goku uniform in trying to hard to beat Gus.

Gus lowered his arms, breathing heavily, and he turned around and started to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

"Ryuko's safe, my job is done. I was starting to get pretty angry back there, so I'm going to leave before I accidentally kill someone."

" Swordsman. "

Gus looked up to see Satsuki on her pedestal.

"Yes?"

"What is your business in Honnouji Academy?"

" I was hired to protect Ryuko Matoi, someone put a bounty on her head. "

"I already know that, but why are you really here?"

" HE IS WITH ME! "

The Skull Knight stood on the highest hill facing Satsuki, his presence was just as assertive as hers. Gus could expect nothing less from a former king.

"HE IS MY CHOSEN WARRIOR TO LEAD THE CRUSADE AGAINST THE RESSURECTION OF THE GODHAND! HE WILL BE THE ONE TO STOP YOUR MOTHER'S TYRANNY AND BRING AN END TO YOUR DESPOTIC RULE! YOUR TIME HAS COME, KIRYUIN! REVOCS AND THE GODHAND WILL SOON COME TO A PERMENANT END! "

"I am aware of REVOCS, but I have no idea what this "Godhand" is. "

The Skull Knight's piercing gaze softened. "I feel only pity for you Satsuki Kiryuin. Having a woman like that as your mother, it has undoubtedly led you down an evil path. However, it is not too late to change your ways. It is clear, since you seem unaware of the Godhand, that your mother has been lying to you. I will leave you with one warning: keep going down the path you are currently on, and you will find yourself in the wrong side of history. "

And with that, Gus and the Skull Knight departed.

*Satsuki's point of view*

So the Skull Knight chose the Black Swordsman as a champion to defeat her mother?

Satsuki honestly didn't see that one coming.

She assumed that the Black Swordsman was here for more personal reasons, which still might be the case, but now she knows the truth of the Skull Knight's involvement.

Perhaps I should have told him my true intentions? No, it isn't likely that he would believe me. The best course of action is to continue with my original plan, and hope that he comes to my aid when the time comes.

Then there was the matter of Ares. Satsuki had no idea how her mother managed to resurrect him, or why, but it's clear that he's becoming a concern. Inumuta said he was spotted watching both fights between Sanageyama and Matoi, and it's pretty clear he was waiting for the Black Swordsman to show up. If this keeps going, Ares could go from a nuisance to her biggest threat. Who knows what he could hear when he's snooping around? The last thing Satsuki wants is for her mother to find out that she is planning to betray her.

*Back to Gus*

Gus collapsed on his cot. He had moved the nightstand farther from his bed, and that took the only energy he had left. Sanageyama was one of the toughest opponents he had faced, second only to Zodd.

"Hey, can we talk?"

Gus turned his head to see Ryuko in the opening of his tent. The moonlight cast a shadow over her face, so he couldn't see what her expression was, but her body posture suggested she was anxious.

"Sure, what is it?"

"I wanted to say thank you. You put yourself at serious risk to save my ass."

" Again. "

"Again...look. I'm officially a hypocrite. I made you promise that we were going to be a team and then I went out on my own, and I'm sorry. "

"Honestly, I forgot all about that."

"No you didn't, you weren't talking to me all afternoon."

"That's because I'm exhausted."

"Sure, anyway, I want to ask you something important."

"Ask away."

"Can you train me?"

"Why do you want me to train you? You're already a pretty good fighter."

"Except you keep saving me! What if I want to save you next time, huh? I ran into battle today because I completely ignored your advice about overconfidence. I thought I could take him on and beat him the same way I did last time, and I got my ass beat! I may be a decent fighter, but you have experience. So, are you gonna train me or not?"

" ...fine, we'll start in a couple days. "

"Thanks, Gus."

" Your-"

Suddenly Ryuko began giggling.

"What?!"

"You moved the nightstand!"

" RYUKO I SWEAR TO GOD! "