Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise/Hokuto ga Gotoku: (c) SEGA
Fist of the North Star/Hokuto no Ken: (c) Buronson & Tetsuo Hara/NSP 1983, Approved No. GA-217
Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed: (c) ACQUIRE/XSeed Games/Marvelous USA Inc.
Final Chapter: The Man of Akihabara
The next day, Kenshiro was in his room, playing a round of the video game version of "Hokuto no Ken" on the Sega Mark III console that he found in the Wastelands before Nanashi and his group came to Eden. The game is a very old beat 'em up-type game, where his character, curiously enough is himself, has to go through various levels to defeat enemies and bosses. He managed to get up to the fifth stage, after beating Toki.
After he finished playing, he decided to walk outside…
Kenshiro thought, "I wonder what Nanashi and his friends are up to today… Maybe Xsana has seen them. I should head to the Cathedral."
Kenshiro then ran north to the Cathedral. The way he went there is that he crossed through the Bazaar, then he ran north on the west end of the Colosseum and then ran up the western stairs right into the Cathedral.
Kenshiro walked inside to find Xsana. He approached her and asked, "Xsana… Is Nanashi not here?"
"Nanashi hasn't come?" Xsana asked,
"I have not seen him the whole day." Kenshiro reported, "Something may be wrong."
"You might be on to something, Kenshiro…" Xsana agreed,
"Tell me, Xsana." Kenshiro said, "Did something happen to Nanashi and his friends?"
"Someone came by and left a message." Xsana answered, "He said to come to the Bazaar at this time. It has something to do with Nanashi and his friends."
"How do you know?" Kenshiro asked,
"He looked very calm, like he knows Nanashi from somewhere." Xsana answered,
"I can only hope it is not something serious." She prayed, "If something were to happen to Nanashi and his friends, I wouldn't know what to do…"
"Got it." Kenshiro replied, "I'll go and head to the Bazaar now and see what happened."
"Please be careful." Xsana said, "And, Kenshiro… Nanashi and his friends might be in danger. Whoever did something to them… if you oppose them, they will not hesitate to strike back. Be ready for anything."
"Right." Kenshiro replied and left the Cathedral.
Kenshiro ran down the stairs back into Cathedral Square. He rushed south to the west side of the Colosseum. Then, he ran through the Bazaar and then… "Hm?" Kenshiro stopped and saw…
…
…Nanashi. Stripped bare of his clothing, laid down and struggling to get up. Not only that, there was black and purple debris flying from his body.
Kenshiro rushed to Nanashi. "Hey! Nanashi!" the Hokuto Shinken practitioner cried, "Are you OK?!"
"M… Mr. Kenshiro…" Nanashi saw him and said, weakly, "You made it… My friends… Shizuku… Tohko… Rin… Shion… Kati… My sis, Nana… They were all taken… I was hoping to… fight the thugs by… myself with the strength I have… but… it didn't go so well… I'm sorry… that you had to see… my ultimate… weakness… as a Synthister…"
Kenshiro looked at the sun, which is now covering over Eden. He shielded his eyes, then turned back to Nanashi. "Nanashi." Kenshiro cried, "You're going to be OK!"
"Heh! So you finally made it!" someone cried,
Approaching Kenshiro and the weakened Nanashi are a group of bandits, led by a large red-haired masked bandit with a couple of canisters on his back and a flamethrower! "Heh. Dumbass! The kid thinks he can take us all on by himself!"
"We didn't like his face, so we beat him up!" a fat bandit with an "X" scar on his forehead, yelled, "That'll teach him to how the world really works! And not only that, we burned him to the ground! He's so weak!"
Kenshiro stood up. He then turned and faced the bandits. "Huh?!" The flamethrower bandit cried, "Now what? You lookin' for a fight?!"
"This young man and his friends were looking for a place to belong." Kenshiro said, angrily "Instead… you may have just sent him to his grave! I'll say one thing and one thing only…"
…
"Villains don't need graves." He then got into his fighting stance.
"Is that right?!" The fat bandit cried, "All right! Let's kill this guy, too!"
Kenshiro focused on the bandit with the flamethrower. "You're first!" He cried,
The flamethrower bandit fired the flamethrower, but the flames missed Kenshiro as he stepped to the side. Kenshiro then grabbed the bandit and the flamethrower. He then kicked the bandit down. "Bastard…" The bandit cried, and then…
Kenshiro burned the bandit with his own flamethrower!
"TIME TO TAKE OUT THE TRASH."
"Hot! Hot! So hot!" The bandit cried to his death, as Kenshiro tossed the flamethrower to the side.
"Now you know how he feels!" Kenshiro cried, pointing to the weakened Nanashi
The fat bandit growled as he delivered a clap-like attack, followed by a hammer hook. Kenshiro blocked the first two attacks but had his guard break on the hammer hook. Kenshiro then gave two punches and blinded the fat bandit.
Kenshiro sped to the other side, facing the back of the fat bandit. "Where… where did you go?!" the bandit cried,
Kenshiro then struck the back of the bandit with two palms to the back! He then quickly removed them and then he put his hands together. And… Kenshiro drilled the hands into the back of the bandit and quickly snatched them out!
"HOKUTO SPINEBREAKER!"
"My… my body…" The fat bandit cried as he drooped to the floor to his knees and then… BLAM! His spines exploded!
The four smaller bandits all backed away, all of them terrified. One cried out, "I'm… I'm sorry!"
Another cried out, "W-what?!"
The third yelled, "No! Let me go!"
Kenshiro slightly smirked as he hit channeling points of three bandits. Their heads did indeed explode, all while crying out "SHIT BALLS!" before their deaths.
The fourth bandit cried, as he dropped to the floor, "Wh-what the hell?! Who are you…?!"
"…I don't need to give my name to those who expose the innocent to their deaths." Kenshiro replied, "Especially when they're about to die."
"Wait…" The bandit cried, "That power… those scars… Shit, you're the guy this kid mentioned! L-look, we're sorry!"
Kenshiro did not say anything. "We… we were just wingin' it! We'll never do this again!" The bandit whimpered, "Hell, we'll… we'll even leave Eden!"
"Sure." Kenshiro said,
"Thank you…" the bandit cried, as he stood up
Most would fall for the bandit's tricks. But not Kenshiro. Kenshiro had an intuition that the bandit was lying. He then hit a pressure point on the bandit's head!
The bandit stood still. "…Wh-What the hell did you do to me?! Did you use another of your crazy moves on me?!"
Kenshiro simply answered, "I struck a hidden channeling point. If you want to live, here is your chance. You're going to tell me where this kid's friends are." He looked at the already weakened Nanashi.
"The hell?!" the bandit cried,
"You're going to tell me where Shizuku, Tohko, Rin, Shion, Kati and Nana are. You lie to me… boom." Kenshiro said,
There was silence in the air. The bandit has been given a chance to live again, but only if he told the truth of the whereabouts of Nanashi's friends. But a lie will end his life. If anyone has been struck on a pressure point and given a condition by a Hokuto Shinken user like Kenshiro, they'd best be on their good behaviour.
"Th… This kid's friends?" The bandit said, "I… I remember a guy asking us… to off the kid… after one of our own had a terrible night at the Nightclub last night… Our guy… was stripped clean of his clothes by that kid…" He looked at Nanashi, not only with fear in his eyes, but also the idea of pointing the finger of the Junior Manager of the Nightclub.
"We told this guy about him… And he asked us to kidnap his girlfriends… And take them to the tallest sight overlooking all of Eden… Hell, even Sphere City itself! And then he told us to kill that kid!"
"L-listen! I told the truth! Can I go now?!" The bandit yelped,
"Sure." Kenshiro replied, now knowing where Nanashi's friends are
Kenshiro turned away. The bandit chuckled as he took out a knife. He screamed as he charged at Kenshiro, but… "A-TAAA!"
Kenshiro struck the channeling point on the bandit's head again! "You had your chance." Kenshiro said, "Now suffer like Nanashi did."
The bandit's body shook violently and then… BOOM! His head exploded!
Kenshiro then rushed to Nanashi. "Nanashi!" He cried, "Stay with me! Nanashi!"
Nanashi grunted and groaned, "M… Mr. Kenshiro… I… I don't know… How much longer… Do I have… But… You gotta save my friends…"
"I'm not going to lose you!" Kenshiro cried, "I think I know who to take you to…"
Kenshiro raced to get everything he needed for Nanashi, which are the clothes he had and a large blanket to cover the boy up from the sun. He took a buggy that Bat, a young mechanic friend and self-proclaimed sidekick to Kenshiro, fixed up. He drove out of Eden, with Nanashi in tow.
Kenshiro, with Nanashi draped over the blanket on the back side of the buggy, drove it south along the Wastelands. He then turned left and drove east past a road and onto another road, lined up with old, desiccated and rusty light posts. The road was also covered by an old highway, with smoke at the end of the destroyed section. Soon, Kenshiro came across that familiar hill that has a prison, which houses someone he knows best…
Kenshiro got off the buggy and entered into a giant building with never-ending walls. Through the walls, is a courtyard with lots of space. It's where he took on and defeated a warden of this prison named Uighur. This was no ordinary prison. It's a prison city, known as Cassandra, where it houses the worst of the worst, in the Wastelands and there is virtually no escape, regardless of the know-how on how to get out.
Kenshiro looked up. He said to himself, "Brother… Can you save this kid from dying of his curse?"
Kenshiro walked inside the prison, through empty cells. He had forgotten how the prison is like after the defeat and eventual death of Uighur. Then, he came across a cell, where a man was meditating.
The man looked up and saw a familiar figure. "So you've come… Kenshiro." He said,
"Toki… Brother…" Kenshiro replied,
Kenshiro walked inside the cell to greet Toki. Toki had grey hair and matching single shoulder pad, robe, pants and arm guard. He also had a gold headband on his long hair. "I've been waiting for you…" Toki said as he gripped Kenshiro with his hands
Kenshiro gripped Toki's arm with his left hand. "You've gotten much thinner, Toki." He said,
Toki then let go of Kenshiro. He said, "I'm still breathing though." And he is right. As a man who had been exposed to the "ashes of war" during the nuclear war, he suffered from a disease that can never be cured. This, even though he studied the same martial art as Kenshiro. Before that disease inflicted him, Toki was one of the better students of the Hokuto Shinken martial art. He was OK to relinquish his chances of being the Successor once the disease hit him. And now, he's the "doctor". In other words, he can heal people with Hokuto Shinken, much better than his younger brother, Kenshiro.
Kenshiro then said, "Toki, listen to me. There's a boy I want you to cure."
Toki had a serious look on his face. "He was afflicted by the sun and he is slowly dying. He needs you."
"How soon can he be here?" Toki asked,
"He's waiting outside for us." Kenshiro answered, "I thought that… you of all people might be able to heal him. Will you help me, brother?"
"You know I would do anything you asked of me." Toki said, "Think back to Jagre. I would be more than happy to help you."
Kenshiro nodded, and he and Toki left the prison cell.
A few minutes later, outside of Cassandra, Kenshiro carried the body of Nanashi, covered in a blanket and laid it down. He then uncovered Nanashi. Nanashi is still writhing in pain, and black and purple debris is still rising from his body.
Toki saw this and thought, "Interesting. This I have never seen before. Well, then…"
He then kneeled down in front of Nanashi. He focused his chi on his right hand and it glowed green. He then slammed the fist onto Nanashi's body!
Nanashi stopped writhing and shut his eyes. Toki stood up and faced Kenshiro. He then said, "He'll be all right now. I struck a pressure point that will slow down the body from deteriorating."
"But I must ask…" Toki continued, "What is he?"
"This boy is a Synthister." Kenshiro answered, "He's been able to survive as long as he has clothes on his back. Should he be naked, he will more than likely die. While his kind satiates on life energy from people, he eats a lot of food which is a better alternative."
"It is an interesting species." Toki said, "I have never heard of his kind until you have told me."
"Is Nanashi cured, then?" Kenshiro asked,
Toki nods. "Yes, you needn't worry. He'll wake up soon enough. I can't remove his curse, but I can slow it down so he can live longer should he be fully stripped."
Just then, he coughed very hard and dropped to his knees. "Toki!" Kenshiro cried, "Are you OK?!"
"Hah… I'm prepared for death to come at any moment…" Toki replied, "You needn't worry about me."
"I know I can't convince you to leave here to come to Eden," Kenshiro said, recognizing that should he and Toki meet and leave Cassandra to go to Eden, Raoh the Ken-oh, the tyrant who rules all of the Wastelands and is also a Hokuto Shinken disciple like Kenshiro and Toki, will launch an all-out assault on Eden and kill everyone. "But I do want to thank you again. I'm going to go and save this boy's friends."
"Good luck, Kenshiro." Toki said,
Kenshiro dressed Nanashi to his usual clothes, found somehow and somewhere, and carried him to the back of the buggy. He then got in the driver's seat and drove off. He thought, "I remember going up to that mountain and finding a mysterious man. I don't know what is in store for me… But Xsana is right. I have to be ready for anything, if in case people stop me at the Cursed Village…"
"Never thought I would visit the Cursed Village again… But I have no choice."
Kenshiro then drove the buggy along the road. As soon as it ended, he drove over the hills west past the hill leading back into Eden. He kept driving west, past the destroyed buildings and broken highways. He then drove through an opening, over jagged roads until finally, he came to a halt at a path, semi-blocked by small stone walls.
Kenshiro got off the buggy. He looked ahead at the path as he walked through the opening past the small stone walls. He thought, "Well… This is it. No turning back now. For Nanashi's sake… I'm going to save his friends!"
And he walked through the path, leading to the Cursed Village…
Kenshiro walked through a fog, but he does know what he had been through in this village. With the structures, all but destroyed, there was a thick fog in the air. For Kenshiro, he has been in this village before, traversing through it with Jagre and fighting off those who were fully inflicted with the Meito Kieiken technique from Kyo-Oh. It was a terrifying sight, since the villagers and bandits who were inflicted with said technique lost all sanity and were needed to be put down.
Kenshiro kept walking through the thick fog in the village. Then, he heard cackling. "You are pathetically predictable! Like a moth to a flame!"
Approaching Kenshiro are eight bandits of a different kind. While they look like the ones Kenshiro faced on numerous occasions, these particular bandits have black armour with an emblem, painted in red, that resembles a face of a scary monster spirit.
"The Army of Ruin?!" Kenshiro cried, "What are you doing here?!"
"We're here to put you out of our misery!" The big mercenary with a red mohawk answered, "Then we're going to raid Eden with everything they got!"
"But I see you're about to rescue some fine women!" The big mercenary continued, with a nasty smile on his face "Tell you what, there's a man waiting for you! If you want to reach him that badly, I'll bring him your head! Fuhyahyahya!"
"You know who the man is?" Kenshiro asked, "Tell me who he is and nobody has to die."
The big mercenary cried, "This guy won't shut up! Let's skewer 'im!"
Kenshiro thought as he got into his fighting stance, "They just don't get it… Well… I have to do what I do best."
Kenshiro began by swaying forward between two Army of Ruin men, one at regular height while the other is overweight. He began by meditating while standing, breathing in and out with a fiery green aura surrounding him and his eyes closed.
…
"There!" Kenshiro cried as he opened his eyes.
As the soldiers charged at Kenshiro, he lifted his arms and green energy blades lit the soldiers' bodies!
"HOKUTO MERCIFUL EXECUTION!"
Kenshiro blasted the beams through the stuttering soldiers. The soldiers' bodies began to bend in all the wrong places. One cried, "My arm's stuck!"
Their heads started to expand. "I… I can't move!" The overweight cried,
Both men chuckled and had smiles on their faces. And then… BOOM! Their heads exploded!
Then, Kenshiro went to work on another soldier, that is regular-sized. After two punches, he got dizzy. Kenshiro pushed the soldier back a bit and stuck his finger on his head! The big Army of Ruin mercenary tried to punch the back of Kenshiro's head, but the Hokuto Shinken practitioner ducked his head!
"What?!" The big mercenary cried, "Where did he go?!"
Kenshiro yelled as he stuck his left fingers in the big mercenary's head, "OWA-TAAA!"
The mercenary cried, "Aaah! Let me go!"
Then… Kenshiro bashed both heads of his victims together!
"HOKUTO TWIN EXECUTION!"
Kenshiro then removed his fingers to watch as the two Army of Ruin men's heads explode!
The remaining four Army of Ruin soldiers got extremely scared. Kenshiro used that window to hit their channeling points on their heads, and they exploded!
Kenshiro rushed north of the village. He saw more Army of Ruin soldiers as they are laughing at him. But Kenshiro made quick work of them by making their heads explode, through a touch of their channeling points on their heads.
Kenshiro kept rushing north, past more destroyed buildings. And then… He heard laughter.
Eleven more Army of Ruin soldiers appeared, led by their Attack Team Vice-Captain, appeared and approached Kenshiro. Many of them were armed with bats, small axes and large axes. One of the soldiers cried, "Yaa-hoo! Over there!"
Kenshiro got into his fighting stance and said, "Come on!"
And just then, he heard "Mr. Kenshiro!"
Someone sped past Kenshiro! The Hokuto Shinken fighter saw a familiar figure. "Nanashi!" He cried,
Nanashi stripped the middle armour off an Army of Ruin soldier, then he stripped another soldier's pants, then Nanashi quickly stripped the middle armour off another Army of Ruin soldier, then he swept kick him and stripped the pants off then…
Nanashi leapt at another Army of Ruin soldier, kneeled with his body bent back, punched him rapidly and ripped his armour off then…
Nanashi rapidly punched another Army of Ruin soldier, and finished with an uppercut that destroyed his armour, then Nanashi stripped his pants off! Then…
Nanashi punched his two fists together softly, stretched his body out, placed his two hands on an Army of Ruin soldier and… stripped him of his middle armour, then punched the Army of Ruin soldier high in the sky that his pants, literally, fell off!
Then, Nanashi did a few punches in the air, and slowly placed his right hand in front of him and then… He yelled with a big fist pump, "How about this?!"
The Army of Ruin soldiers that were stripped screamed in horror as they are naked to the core! "That kid's a monster!" One of the soldiers cried, about to run for his life, "No! L-let me go!"
"Not a chance." Kenshiro said as he rushed to him and hit a channeling point on the head. He then gripped the head of the naked soldier with his right thumb, and twirled him around, knocking the other naked soldiers down and out! Kenshiro tossed the naked soldier he gripped on into the sky.
"HOKUTO HORDEBREAKER STRIKE!"
The body of the naked soldier expanded his body for a bit and then… BOOM!
The bodies of the naked soldiers that were knocked down also exploded. At least their heads did.
Kenshiro then rushed to a nearly naked Army of Ruin soldier and he hit a channeling point on the head. He then bashed his right thumb on the chin of the soldier and with his left hand, he backwards slapped the soldier and finished his attack with a frontwards slap!
"PHANTOM CHANNELING POINT."
The soldier's head shook violently as he cried, "W… Why?!" And… BOOM! His head exploded!
Kenshiro and Nanashi regrouped with their backs toward each other. "Nanashi…" Kenshiro said, "Why did you come? You're in no condition to fight…"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kenshiro." Nanashi replied, "But if my friends are kidnapped, it becomes personal. I finally understand why I been given all this strength… and the reason I have newfound power."
"It's not only to prove to myself that I can become just as strong as you. It's because of my friends… Shizuku… Tohko… Rin… Shion… Kati… My sis, Nana… I want to fight to protect them!"
"You have grown so much since I first met you, Nanashi." Kenshiro admitted, "I think you're becoming a man of your own principles."
"Are you done making love to yourselves?!" The Vice-Captain of the Army of Ruin's Attack Team yelled, who wore a mask and had wild grey hair, "I am EXTREMELY ANXIOUS TO KILL YOU BOTH!"
"What do you say…" Nanashi began, "64th Successor of the Hokuto Shinken? Shall we dance?"
"Let's," Kenshiro replied, "1st Successor of the Akiba Shinken."
Nanashi smiled. He really liked that nickname a lot.
Kenshiro rushed and hit channeling points on the heads of the non-stripped soldiers. They all died, with their exploded heads! Only the Vice-Captain remained.
The Vice-Captain swayed and landed an uppercut on Nanashi, which sent the boy flying. Kenshiro rushed in, delivered two punches, a kick and rapid punches. Kenshiro finished the combo with a hard punch which sent the Vice-Captain flying.
The Vice-Captain got up, yelling "You'll regret this!"
Nanashi also got up, saying, "I can't give up now!" He then delivered a sliding kick to the Vice-Captain, forcing him to kneel. Nanashi attempted to press his fingers on the Vice-Captain's head. "What was that supposed to do, kid?!" The Vice-Captain taunted,
He removed them and… The Vice-Captain's mask came off as he was falling down!
The Vice-Captain cried out as he got up, "I won't forgive you!"
"Nice try at the 'Fist of Penitence'." Kenshiro admitted, "But allow me to show you how it is really done."
Kenshiro stretched himself, rushed to the Vice-Captain and hit his channeling point on the head. "H-hey!" The Vice-Captain cried, "I… I can't move!"
Kenshiro then pressed his fingers, hard, on the temple of the Vice-Captain! Then he removed them quickly!
"HOKUTO FIST OF PENITENCE!"
"You've got… three seconds left." Kenshiro said, "To think about the sins you've committed against Nanashi and his friends."
"And if I don—" The Vice-Captain began until his body shook violently, and his head expanded in an inhuman way, "Aaah! No! Let me go! Please! I'm sorry!"
BOOM! The Vice-Captain's head exploded.
"And that's how you do it." Kenshiro said,
"Wow…" Nanashi said, "Thank you, Mr. Kenshiro! Now… let's go save my friends!"
"Yeah." Kenshiro agreed and they both ran to the pathway to the mountaintop.
At the mountaintop, it was partially cloudy with a bit of sun showing. The sight of the mountaintop is breathtaking. One can see Eden, Sphere City and miles and miles of the Wastelands from there.
But sightseeing is not in the cards for both Kenshiro and Nanashi as they both made it to the mountaintop, tired and panting from all the fighting and running. Nanashi said, "Well… here we are."
Both guys walked closer to the mountaintop until they heard… "So, you didn't back down after all. You boys deserve a slow clap for that."
Kenshiro and Nanashi both turned to find a man with yellow hair, a maroon shirt and black pants with knee guards. Nanashi gasped.
"Who're you?" Kenshiro asked,
"It… can't be." Nanashi cried,
"Zenya Amo!"
"Hmph." The yellow-haired man replied, "You really don't have to yell, you know. So what brought you both here, then? Resignation of fate? Or delusional confidence?"
"Your friends are still alive, you know…" He continued, "I just put them on a little nap."
Zenya shook his head to his right. Kenshiro and Nanashi both looked. Nanashi's friends are chained to six rocks and are asleep. "Shizuku… Tohko… Rin… Shion… Kati… Sis…" Nanashi cried,
"But… how did you survive?!"
"You really don't know… do you?" Zenya said, "I returned back to normal after you and your pathetic friends stripped me bare-naked in Akihabara. I left the town, thinking that I have nothing to live for after our Synthister experiments were being compromised. Thankfully, I had the last of the formula and took it."
"And guess what? I survived the nuclear war!"
"I ran into the guys you both battled… The Army of Ruin. They told me about a paradise town that's ripe with social and life energy that I could feast on people day and night! They also told me about the man who is known by many names… One in particular struck me as somehow familiar… "The Saviour of Century's End"." Kenshiro looked on as Zenya referred to him.
"But what is better… is that they told me about you, Nanashi. I spent my years, disgusted and hated at what you all do! But when you came to this town of Eden… I knew that the wheels of my plan are set in motion! All I needed was some help from the Army of Ruin, and you can thank Targa for feeding me the hatred I need."
"Targa?!" Kenshiro cried, "What does he have to do with all of this?!"
"He fed me all the information I needed to know about Eden. And Nanashi and his friends. It wasn't easy, but he and I have a lot more in common than you think."
He then eyed Nanashi. "I must echo what I told you before you 'killed' me the first time. You see, contrary to popular belief, all men are not created equal. Rather, every man has his worth. And otaku AND the people of Eden are no exception! All they do is consume what they are given… They make no contribution to society. They pursue no real goal. They're jacks of no trade and masters of none! It's the natural order of things to drain such cowards dry! Fitting, is it not, that their energy should provide the nourishment we seek? In the great master's plan, each rung in the ladder of society will receive exactly what it deserves! We can shake ourselves free of all the irresolute, spiritless nobodies in this accursed existence!"
"You're insane, Zenya!" Nanashi cried,
"Then, allow me to spell it out for you. You people of Eden AND otaku aren't needed!" Zenya cried, "Once I sap the life energy in this town, I move on to the next one! And the next one!"
"Soon… the whole world will burn to the ground."
"You mean to say…" Kenshiro asked, "You want all the people in this world dead, including Nanashi and his friends?"
"Bingo, Kenshiro." Zenya replied, "No more Holy Emperor… No more Ken-Oh. Just me, Targa and Kyo-Oh. The new gods."
"You are wrong about one thing. I do not want everyone to die. Because, and as you know, any self-respecting god has to have a legacy." Zenya said as he turned to Nanashi's friends, "A child. That's what they're there for."
"You bastard…" Nanashi cried,
"Our sleeping beauties…" Zenya said, "Once they wake up, they'll find a world burned alive. A much more beautiful world with no trace of the filth that once was. That world… Is one that we shall rule together."
"Now I know that you lost your mind!" Nanashi cried, "No way in hell we're letting you do this!"
"Oh?" Zenya said, "You won't 'let' me? Then come…"
Zenya walked closer to both Nanashi and Kenshiro. The two heroes did the same. "You both may be strong, but for you, Kenshiro, it's just martial arts. As for you, boy, it's just street fighting with stripping. I'm not the same man I once was."
Then, they all stopped. "Now… if you want to face the power of a real god… Come on up and die."
"Hokuto Shinken can stop any evil." Kenshiro said,
"You will not escape judgment!" Nanashi cried,
Zenya whipped out his pistol and tried to shoot Kenshiro, but he missed. Kenshiro tried a chop, but Zenya blocked it. Kenshiro pressed on Zenya's chest with his two fingers, which twirled the enraged Synthister. Zenya smirked as he took out a blade with red light.
"Watch out, Mr. Kenshiro!" Nanashi cried,
Kenshiro ducked as Zenya swung horizontally. The Hokuto Shinken practitioner did a high kick that missed Zenya, as Zenya leaped backwards.
Zenya shot twice at Kenshiro. Kenshiro dodged the bullets easily and he said, "Nice try."
Zenya landed down. "Hmph." He said, "Time to show you how strong I am!"
"Where the heck did you get the pistol from?!" Nanashi cried,
"A little gift from Targa…" Zenya said, "But enough talk! Fight me, Nanashi! Kenshiro!"
Zenya swayed in many directions at fast speeds. Nanashi cried, "I can't keep up with him!"
"You can do this, Nanashi!" Kenshiro cried, "I believe in you! Let's do this together!"
"You got it!" Nanashi cried,
Nanashi attempted two quick punches on Zenya. Both were misses, but Nanashi followed his combo up with a sweep kick that caught Zenya off guard. Kenshiro rushed to punch Zenya twice, stopped and swayed. Then, he delivered another two punches and a kick. Zenya recovered long enough to block the kick from Kenshiro. Zenya delivered two horizontal kicks and a flip kick. Kenshiro blocked those attacks.
Nanashi swayed in front of Zenya and delivered two punches and a spinning backwards punch. Kenshiro swayed behind Zenya, delivered two punches, a kick and a channeling point hit on the neck. Zenya cried, "Wh… what is this?!"
Kenshiro swayed in front of Zenya, gripped his head with his right hand and with the left, clenched his right forearm and… SNAP!
"HOKUTO STEEL SHREDDING CLENCH!"
Zenya dropped down to the ground…
…
But he flipped back up immediately! "That trick isn't going to work on me!" He cried, "I do not have any pressure points! Just try your techniques again!"
Nanashi then rushed to strip Zenya's shirt. But Zenya easily pushed him away.
"We have to weaken him somehow…" Kenshiro said as Zenya kept swaying
Then, Zenya did two leaping spin kicks at both Kenshiro and Nanashi. He struck them both as they flew backwards!
Zenya then swayed in front of Nanashi and twirled his light blade in a buzzsaw motion at him. Nanashi evaded the attack in time to get up and deliver a haymaker. Zenya felt that and rapidly kicked Nanashi, with the last kick knocking the boy down. "See that?!" Zenya taunted as he rotated his right foot to feint a kick
Kenshiro yelled, "Nanashi!"
Nanashi got up and regrouped with Kenshiro. Zenya kept swaying. "I think I have an idea… Ready to do this together?"
"You bet, Mr. Kenshiro!" Nanashi cried, "Let's do this!"
They both crossed their arms and… POW! Kenshiro and Nanashi blasted their upper body clothes off and are both engulfed in their respective red and light purple auras!
"That's the power I want…" Zenya cried, "That is what I have been seeking all along! Give it to me now!"
"Come get it…" Kenshiro taunted,
Zenya rushed at Kenshiro with a number of kicks. Kenshiro blocked the first two and evaded the next two. Kenshiro and Zenya then traded kicks.
Both men waited for a few seconds. Kenshiro and Zenya delivered a kick and… both connected, but Zenya had the harsher of the kicks. Kenshiro checked his face by touching it. He got cut, but he shrugged it off.
"Delicious…" Zenya said, "Now I know why Nanashi looks up to you! You may be the embodiment of the world that resonates with hope, despite it gone to hell! But… There is no hope! And I will be the one to bring it into despair!"
Zenya then rushed at Kenshiro, shooting him. Kenshiro dodged the bullets. Once Zenya got close, thanks to a spinning jump, he tried to shoot Kenshiro again. Kenshiro dodged that bullet and smacked Zenya's arm, twisting his body around. But Zenya recovered to aim the pistol at Kenshiro…
…
Kenshiro parried the arm, forcing the gunshot to miss. Zenya tried to slash Kenshiro, but that arm got parried, too. Zenya tried to shoot Kenshiro again, but the arm was parried again. Then Kenshiro delivered a blow to Zenya's chest, forcing him to step back.
Zenya grew enraged. He screamed and then he delivered a kick, a pistol whip and a blade whip. Kenshiro blocked the attacks. Both Kenshiro and Zenya whiffed on their kicks. Zenya tried to shoot Kenshiro again, only to miss. Zenya attempted to hit Kenshiro with the pistol and light blade, but the Hokuto Shinken fighter managed to block every attack. Then, Kenshiro struck Zenya in the chest.
Zenya looked stunned at first, but then he smirked. He aimed his gun at Kenshiro.
"Mr. Kenshiro!" Nanashi cried, about to see his hero get shot and possibly killed by an insane Synthister.
Kenshiro ducked the gunshot. He then proceeded to bash Zenya in the chest and then… he did a backflip kick that sent Zenya flying!
But that's not all…
Nanashi rushed ahead, leaped up and stripped Zenya's maroon shirt! Nanashi landed perfectly on his feet, while Zenya fell on his back.
Zenya got up, crying, "Piece of shit…!"
Then his body glowed in a yellowish-greenish aura. He yelled, "Playtime is over!"
Kenshiro leapt backwards, zoomed right at Zenya and delivered rapid fire kicks, each one connecting on Zenya! Then, Kenshiro leapt up and delivered a massive punch on the already downed Zenya!
"HOKUTO EIGHT PAINS NINE HELLS!"
"Hahahahahahaha!" Zenya laughed maniacally as he got up, "That still doesn't work on me!"
Nanashi did a series of punches and an uppercut that sent Zenya in the air! Nanashi then leapt up and slammed Zenya down with an axe kick!
"Dammit!" Zenya yelled,
Then, Nanashi charged right at Zenya and… He gasped.
"Nanashi!" Kenshiro yelled,
Zenya stuck his light blade through Nanashi's chest. The boy coughed up blood, but with the strength he had, he ripped Zenya's pants off!
The sun was out.
…
But nothing happened! Zenya laughed maniacally, and kicked Nanashi out of his blade! "I told you…" Zenya cried, "I'm not the same man that I was before! You can't kill me by stripping me of all my clothes! You can't kill me with fists! I am practically invincible! And I will forever rule the world with your friends as my slaves and wives! Hahahahahahahahaha!"
…
"You're forgetting one thing."
"What?"
…
Kenshiro. The 64th Successor of Hokuto Shinken. The Man with Seven Scars. The Saviour of Century's End.
He rapidly punched Zenya with everything he's got! "ATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!"
"HWAAA!"
Then, he leaned back with the fiery red aura surrounding his body and… "OWATAAA!"
…
"HOKUTO HUNDRED-FIST RUSH!"
Zenya flew back! He got up, but was in a lot of pain. He kept groaning as he tried to stand with as much strength as he could muster.
Just then, he gripped his head as it was enlarging in a sick fashion. "Wh… what?! Impossible! I don't have… pressure points!"
"You're no god and you never will be." Kenshiro said, now that he has back his leather jacket and shoulder pads, as he walked closer to Zenya
"What?!" Zenya cried, as he stuttered backwards, creeping closer to the cliff's edge
Nanashi coughed as he got up, now with his blue shirt on, still gripping to his chest, soaked in blood, also walking towards Zenya, said "Gods don't die… But you…?"
Kenshiro and Nanashi both stopped and pointed at Zenya.
"It's too late for you." Nanashi began,
"You're already dead." Kenshiro finished,
"No! No!" Zenya cried, as his head kept expanding, "But I… My time had come! I'm… I'm a god!"
And his head blew up and he fell off the cliff into the backside of Sphere City, never to be seen again.
Kenshiro and Nanashi looked at each other and nodded. Kenshiro then went to the rock that had Shizuku chained. He broke off the cuffs that held her hands easily and hit a channeling point on underneath her neck area.
…
Shizuku gasped as she knelt down. She quickly got up and looked around. She saw Kenshiro and cried, "Thank you, Mr. Kenshiro!"
"It's not me who you should be thanking…" Kenshiro said and faced Nanashi
Nanashi smiled back. But then… he limped down and dropped to the ground. "Nanashi!" Shizuku cried and rushed towards her boyfriend
Kenshiro repeated the process on freeing the rest of Nanashi's friends.
"Nanashi!" Shizuku cried, "Nanashi! Stay with me!"
Nanashi was wheezing. He said weakly, "Hey, Shizuku…"
"Nanashi!" Shizuku cried as she held her boyfriend's body, "I'm here! Please don't die on me!"
"I… I did it." Nanashi said, still weakened, "I fought so hard for you… and my other friends."
Kenshiro, Tohko, Rin, Shion, Kati and Nana all watched with somewhat grim expressions. "If… I hadn't met Mr. Kenshiro… I wouldn't be the man… That I would eventually be… If I wasn't a Synthister… I would have never… attained all this strength… If I didn't meet you… Shizuku… we would never be together like we are now…"
Kenshiro looked down. He had a tear in his left eye.
Tohko cried, "Nanashi… You can't die! Not now!"
Rin yelled, "Nanashi! Please don't go away!"
Shion cried, "Nanashi… Don't you leave us."
Kati cried, "Master! We need you more than ever!"
Nana sobbed and cried, "Brofist… Don't leave your little sis all alone!"
"Hey, guys…" Nanashi said, weakly still "I'm not sure how long I have… But… I'm going to watch over you guys…"
"And… Mr. Kenshiro…?"
…
"Thanks… for everything… I… couldn't have done this… without you…"
He then shut his eyes.
"Nanashi?" Shizuku cried, now with her eyes swelling with tears, "Nanashi?! Nanashi!"
Kenshiro kneeled down, sobbing with tears in his eyes. He had seen people die in front of him. But none have impacted Kenshiro more than Nanashi. He wished he could have done more to protect the boy.
Everyone else… Tohko, Rin, Shion, Kati and Nana were all hugging each other and sobbing as well at their deceased friend. All Shizuku could do her put her head down on her now-deceased boyfriend, now sobbing.
…
Shizuku heard breathing… and snoring. "I'm…"
"I'm really tired… Can I get some… Fried Bugs?" She recognized that voice immediately.
"Nanashi!" Shizuku happily cried and hugged her familiar boyfriend. Nanashi grunted in pain, but he hugged Shizuku back with a smile on his face.
Everyone else cheered, except for Kenshiro, who simply smiled as he got up. He knows that Nanashi is going to be OK.
A few hours later, everyone gathered at the Cathedral, with Xsana in front of the desk.
"So, that was Zenya Amo…" Xsana said, "I'm glad he is no longer a threat, but it only means the Army of Ruin may try more dirty tricks in the future. We should be ready when they strike again..."
"In any case, I have come to a decision."
Nanashi and his friends looked on, with a bit of anxiousness on their faces. They know exactly what they are in for, if they have to leave town or stay forever in Eden.
…
"Nanashi. Shizuku Tokikaze. Tohko Sagisaka. Rin Tokikaze. Shion Kasugai. Kati Räikkönen. Nana."
…
…
"I'm granting all seven of you to stay in Eden."
Everyone cheered and hugged each other. Then, they quieted down.
"The reason that decision was made was something I mentioned during a speech the other day." Xsana continued, "Togetherness. You all have worked together to make Eden a wonderful place to be. I want you all to continue to strive be together and make Eden a place where we can live!"
Nanashi bowed and said happily, "Thank you, Lady Xsana!"
Kenshiro watched the mini-celebration. He smiled and thought, "Nanashi… You have what it takes to succeed in Eden. I wish you and your friends nothing but success."
Nanashi looked back at Kenshiro, gave him a smile and thought, "Thank you, Mr. Kenshiro… No… Ken. I wish you all the best in finding and reuniting with Yuria. I hope to meet her one day..."
"Hey, Kenshiro." Someone said. He turned to find Rei beside him..
"Ah, Rei…" Kenshiro said, "What is it?"
"I have a question." Rei asked, "Did you hold someone at gunpoint at the Casino last night?"
Shortly after the celebration, carpenters, merchants, artisans and members of Eden's watch transformed an old warehouse near the Clinic into a video game bar named "MOGRA Eden." Some people drove from the Wastelands to donate old relics of video games to MOGRA Eden, including a game based on the anime series they like called "Striprism". They even found old relics of anime series from before the nuclear war and donated them to MOGRA Eden.
At the top of the stairway near the Cathedral, it was night time. And Nanashi and Shizuku were looking at the direction of the Colosseum.
"It's such a beautiful view, Nanashi." Shizuku said,
"It is…" Nanashi agreed, "But it is as nowhere near as beautiful as the mountaintop."
"And it certainly is nowhere as beautiful as you… Shizuku." He said as he turned to her,
"Oh… th-thank you." Shizuku said, slightly embarrassed
"Shizuku…" Nanashi began, "I kept thinking about you… When you were kidnapped, I was angry. I wanted to save you, but I realized that I wasn't strong enough on my own… But with the help of Kenshiro, I had the courage and strength to do anything. If Zenya had his way with you… I wouldn't know what to do…"
"But you two defeated him." Shizuku said, "And he will never be a threat to us any more."
"And if there are any more threats coming to Eden, like the Army of Ruin… We will face them together. All of us."
She then hugged Nanashi. "I love you, Nanashi… I want to stay with you forever." She then gave him a passionate kiss.
Nanashi returned the kiss. "I love you, too… Shizuku." He said, "I'm going to stay with you… forever."
And they held each other over a starry night sky with the Big Dipper constellation shining bright.
FIN