-Chapter one: Shu's Defeat
"Fighting-god, Nataku Taishi, come forward."
Nataku walked slowly and confidently down the aisle and kneeled in front of Kami-sama.
"Nataku, you are to descend to Togenkyo to subdue a demon named Shu and his gang," Kami-sama ordered.
"Hai," Nataku answered and stood up. Then, he went to assemble his army.
Unknown to the great fighting-god, someone was good enough to follow him undetected.
All the members of the Heavenly Army were assembled at the gate of heaven.
Homura and Shien waited composedly for Nataku; Kenren smoked like a chimney; and Zeon reloaded his gun excitedly. The rest of the army just either kept quiet or talked with the soldier nearest him, asking if he had any idea on their new mission.
Nataku arrived and stood on a stage before them all, just as an unfamiliar face settled itself in the midst of the crowd.
The fighting-god cleared his throat to give his usual, short speech.
"Heavenly Army, we are to descend to southern Togenkyo to kill a gang of demons led by one named 'Shu'. I expect everyone to perform well and fight bravely. Now let's go."
Nataku and the rest of the army floated in midair for a while, then, with Nataku leading, the soared through heaven's gate and descended.
"Where are you going?" sneered a demon as he picked up a weeping, little boy from the ground.
The boy trembled and began to cry, but the demon showed no pity and ate the child whole, lowering the struggling figure into his mouth.
"Boo, bring some more of these things," the demon told a smaller one who was scuttling on the ground next to him.
Boo whisked away behind a house.
The larger demon, who had just ate, was named Shu. He was about eight feet in height, had blue skin, a mouthful of razor-like teeth, and a thorn in the middle of his forehead. Any human would tremble with terror at the sight of the monster, and any human would smell the stench of mixed blood, sweat, and rotting flesh that came from him.
But these things were ordinary characteristics of a demon. Shu had something special. There was a reason more important than food why he was terrorizing the town. Of course, only he and his fellows knew it.
The town, which was once filled with happy, hardworking people, was now infested with demons and reeked of blood. Sickening screams and shrieks of both horrified people and blood-thirsty demons echoed in every corner of the town.
"Boo! Where are you, you damned critter?" yelled Shu as he walked around.
He turned around a corner and into an alley. There, he saw Boo's dead body.
"What the-?"
He suddenly heard battle cries and peeped from out of the alley. On the road was a sight that makes every demon's blood run dry: The Heavenly Army.
"Whahahaha!!!" laughed Zeon as he continually rained bullets on the attacking demons.
"Zeon, watch it with that thing! You almost shot me!" said Kenren as he jumped away from Zeon's gunfire.
Everyone, even Nataku, fought like killing demons was like some kind of play, and this fact puzzled a new face in the army.
Kenren blew a demon to smithereens with an energy ball and looked behind him for more. His red eyes fell upon a young fighting-god, about a hundred years younger than him, being ambushed by a dozen demons. Following his instincts, he rushed to the scene and in one blow, killed half of the demons.
The young fighting-god pulled two swords out from their sheaths and slashed the other half.
" I appreciate the help, but I could've done it myself." Said the black- haired fighting-god.
Kenren looked at him. He was shorter than Kenren and had hair that covered half of his face. His eyes were blue and showed a unique determination. He had a smooth, girlish face, a body that wasn't as big as a man's and his shoulders were narrower than usual.
" I haven't seen you before." said Kenren. "You're new, aren't you?"
"Uh.yes," he answered.
"That's funny, I didn't know Nataku-sama opened up a place for a new recruit."
" Ah, you see, I was transferred from the West Army."
" Shouldn't we stop talking and just fight?" the young fighting-god suggested.
"You're a serious one." said Kenren, resuming his battle stance. "What's your name?"
"Lei.Han Lei."
"Kenren."
With that, Lei attacked two more demons and managed to kill one, but the other scratched him before he scratched it.
Suddenly, Homura shouted from nearby.
"Hey guys, look! Nataku's fighting the leader!"
Everyone, except Lei, ran to Homura's voice as if there was a cockfight.
"What's so important about that? This an important mission we're doing." Muttered Lei as she followed Kenren.
Just outside the town, a crowd formed around Nataku and Shu. They were cheering madly, and Lei shook his head disapprovingly.
The demon looked nervous with all the fighting-gods around him, but kept his cool and attacked Nataku.
Nataku, however, didn't look challenged much and just stood calmly.
Shu charged like a large sumo wrestler, his fats wobbling around like water. When he neared Nataku, the fighting-god leaped high into the air and behind Shu, aiming a powerful helicopter-kick at the demon's head. Shu's massive bulk fell to the ground with a loud thud, and the army cheered.
Shu groaned with pain, and then slowly stood up. Angered, he attacked Nataku again, but the fighting-god thought it appropriate to finish it quickly, so he formed an energy ball and killed Shu instantly.
"Master." screamed Shu just before he was blown up.
"That demon still has a master. I wonder who is it?" Shien mumbled pensively.
"Our mission is done for now." Nataku announced. "If you're sure that no demons are left, let's ascend back up."
After confirming their victory and bandaging the wounded, the army flew back to Tenkai.
"You know."said Kenren as he flew near Lei. "If it wasn't for your voice and your chest, I would've mistaken you for a girl."
"What?" Lei said suddenly, his flight slowing down slightly.
Kenren misunderstood Lei's surprise.
"Oh, it's not an insult or anything. Just a thought."
If it wasn't for the wind that blew Lei's hair over his face, Kenren could have seen Lei's guilty and worried look.
"Fighting-god, Nataku Taishi, come forward."
Nataku walked slowly and confidently down the aisle and kneeled in front of Kami-sama.
"Nataku, you are to descend to Togenkyo to subdue a demon named Shu and his gang," Kami-sama ordered.
"Hai," Nataku answered and stood up. Then, he went to assemble his army.
Unknown to the great fighting-god, someone was good enough to follow him undetected.
All the members of the Heavenly Army were assembled at the gate of heaven.
Homura and Shien waited composedly for Nataku; Kenren smoked like a chimney; and Zeon reloaded his gun excitedly. The rest of the army just either kept quiet or talked with the soldier nearest him, asking if he had any idea on their new mission.
Nataku arrived and stood on a stage before them all, just as an unfamiliar face settled itself in the midst of the crowd.
The fighting-god cleared his throat to give his usual, short speech.
"Heavenly Army, we are to descend to southern Togenkyo to kill a gang of demons led by one named 'Shu'. I expect everyone to perform well and fight bravely. Now let's go."
Nataku and the rest of the army floated in midair for a while, then, with Nataku leading, the soared through heaven's gate and descended.
"Where are you going?" sneered a demon as he picked up a weeping, little boy from the ground.
The boy trembled and began to cry, but the demon showed no pity and ate the child whole, lowering the struggling figure into his mouth.
"Boo, bring some more of these things," the demon told a smaller one who was scuttling on the ground next to him.
Boo whisked away behind a house.
The larger demon, who had just ate, was named Shu. He was about eight feet in height, had blue skin, a mouthful of razor-like teeth, and a thorn in the middle of his forehead. Any human would tremble with terror at the sight of the monster, and any human would smell the stench of mixed blood, sweat, and rotting flesh that came from him.
But these things were ordinary characteristics of a demon. Shu had something special. There was a reason more important than food why he was terrorizing the town. Of course, only he and his fellows knew it.
The town, which was once filled with happy, hardworking people, was now infested with demons and reeked of blood. Sickening screams and shrieks of both horrified people and blood-thirsty demons echoed in every corner of the town.
"Boo! Where are you, you damned critter?" yelled Shu as he walked around.
He turned around a corner and into an alley. There, he saw Boo's dead body.
"What the-?"
He suddenly heard battle cries and peeped from out of the alley. On the road was a sight that makes every demon's blood run dry: The Heavenly Army.
"Whahahaha!!!" laughed Zeon as he continually rained bullets on the attacking demons.
"Zeon, watch it with that thing! You almost shot me!" said Kenren as he jumped away from Zeon's gunfire.
Everyone, even Nataku, fought like killing demons was like some kind of play, and this fact puzzled a new face in the army.
Kenren blew a demon to smithereens with an energy ball and looked behind him for more. His red eyes fell upon a young fighting-god, about a hundred years younger than him, being ambushed by a dozen demons. Following his instincts, he rushed to the scene and in one blow, killed half of the demons.
The young fighting-god pulled two swords out from their sheaths and slashed the other half.
" I appreciate the help, but I could've done it myself." Said the black- haired fighting-god.
Kenren looked at him. He was shorter than Kenren and had hair that covered half of his face. His eyes were blue and showed a unique determination. He had a smooth, girlish face, a body that wasn't as big as a man's and his shoulders were narrower than usual.
" I haven't seen you before." said Kenren. "You're new, aren't you?"
"Uh.yes," he answered.
"That's funny, I didn't know Nataku-sama opened up a place for a new recruit."
" Ah, you see, I was transferred from the West Army."
" Shouldn't we stop talking and just fight?" the young fighting-god suggested.
"You're a serious one." said Kenren, resuming his battle stance. "What's your name?"
"Lei.Han Lei."
"Kenren."
With that, Lei attacked two more demons and managed to kill one, but the other scratched him before he scratched it.
Suddenly, Homura shouted from nearby.
"Hey guys, look! Nataku's fighting the leader!"
Everyone, except Lei, ran to Homura's voice as if there was a cockfight.
"What's so important about that? This an important mission we're doing." Muttered Lei as she followed Kenren.
Just outside the town, a crowd formed around Nataku and Shu. They were cheering madly, and Lei shook his head disapprovingly.
The demon looked nervous with all the fighting-gods around him, but kept his cool and attacked Nataku.
Nataku, however, didn't look challenged much and just stood calmly.
Shu charged like a large sumo wrestler, his fats wobbling around like water. When he neared Nataku, the fighting-god leaped high into the air and behind Shu, aiming a powerful helicopter-kick at the demon's head. Shu's massive bulk fell to the ground with a loud thud, and the army cheered.
Shu groaned with pain, and then slowly stood up. Angered, he attacked Nataku again, but the fighting-god thought it appropriate to finish it quickly, so he formed an energy ball and killed Shu instantly.
"Master." screamed Shu just before he was blown up.
"That demon still has a master. I wonder who is it?" Shien mumbled pensively.
"Our mission is done for now." Nataku announced. "If you're sure that no demons are left, let's ascend back up."
After confirming their victory and bandaging the wounded, the army flew back to Tenkai.
"You know."said Kenren as he flew near Lei. "If it wasn't for your voice and your chest, I would've mistaken you for a girl."
"What?" Lei said suddenly, his flight slowing down slightly.
Kenren misunderstood Lei's surprise.
"Oh, it's not an insult or anything. Just a thought."
If it wasn't for the wind that blew Lei's hair over his face, Kenren could have seen Lei's guilty and worried look.