I apologize for that delay: on a very unhappy Valentine's Day, I slipped on black ice and broke my shoulder, and I was on so many painkillers I couldn't think straight.

Well, I regained enough motor functions to be able to type with both hands, but I still need to keep this sling at least another week. That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter, as I typed most of it with only one hand. Here's a word of advice to my fellow writers: don't type with one hand because it's difficult to get a good flow going!

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The time was drawing near…

For the past twenty five days, my son and I had been playing a dangerous game around the city. The pieces in play on my side were Astaroth, Ryoku, whatever lieutenant I would create on a given day, and the Lizard-man horde. My son's pieces consisted of the ever-expanding ranks of the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger: a colorful group of top-notch martial artists brought together to form a most formidable fighting unit.

Even though they were often outnumbered and outclassed, the Shinkengers proved to be a most resourceful adversary, defeating every foe that came there way. Sometimes, third parties would enter the game and complicate it, often playing a key role in the outcome of the skirmish between the sides. Some of them, such as Miss Lucy Janairo, were but normal civilians who knew nothing of the game but interfered simply because of their concern for those unfortunate enough to be trapped between warring factions.

Others, such as the meddlesome G-Corporation, were full aware of the war going on in this gargantuan city and took steps to exploit the confusion. However, even though the Shinkenger would defeat them, it would be I who would reap the rewards as I acquired their coveted ShinkenSlayer morpher. I used this morpher to increase my power a hundred fold and resurrect Ryoku Kazama, my lovely Jun's maniacal father.

When Ryoku decided to attack the Shinkenger, he too met defeat, albeit narrowly at the hands of another interloper: my despicable father Heihachi. Using the omnipotent might of ShinkenLord, my father proved to be a more than a match for the immeasurable power of my "father-in-law," but not before Ryoku revealed the location of lair.

This did not escape the ears of my son, Jin. As you already know, my history with my son is almost as twisted as my history with my own father. With the knowledge that I was the mastermind behind most of his misery for the past several weeks, including the near-death of his young friend Ling Xiaoyu, Jin left his comrades in the dust and rushed towards my lab.

The other pieces had been taken out of play, and only the kings remained. The final battle that had been building up was about to begin…

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Sinful.

The word echoed across Jin's mind as he entered the abandoned laboratory. Jin knew all about this building's sinful legacy. Before Jin was born, this place was a breeding ground for mutants and monsters, as animals of every shape and size were taken to be experimented upon mercilessly in the name of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Genetically-enhanced kangaroos and resurrected raptors were but some of the oddities birthed in this foundation of concrete and steel.

However, despite how sickening that may have sounded, that was all secondary to the young martial artist when lined up against the fact that it was this laboratory that brought about his mother's reason for entering the second King of Iron Fist Tournament. Back then, she was an accomplished officer of the wildlife protection organization known as the WWWC. The original plan was to simply put an end to the Zaibatsu's villainy.

Once she learned of the Zaibatsu leader Kazuya's Devil spirit, however, she made new plans that would turn the lives of everyone involved upside-down…including her own. The end result of her mission: pregnancy with Kazuya's son, Jin. The exact details of what when on between Jun Kazama and Kazuya Mishima had always been shrouded in mystery, and even though Jun chose to remain at Kazuya's side after the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament, Jin had always had his doubts.

Today I'm going to have all my questions answered, Jin strengthed his resolve as he continued weaving his way through the corridors of the laboratory. I'm tired of turning the other cheek to that asshole: I'm going to make him tell what I want, even if I have to bleed it out of him!

Turning left on pure instinct, Jin entered a large room riddled with electronic equipment. In the center of the room was a large operating table that piqued his interest enough for him to walk towards it for inspection. Once he was standing next to it, a copper-like scent entered his nostrils and caused him to back away slightly. The smell of blood was fresh: it had been used recently.

Upon further inspection, Jin noticed that the floor surrounding the table had a unique pentagram etched into it, forming a circle around the slab of metal. He didn't know for sure what the markings meant, but given the laboratory's reputation, he doubted it was anything good. Well, at least I know I have the right place…so where are the tenants?

"I am impressed that you have come this far…"

Jin bolted around in surprise at the sound of the familiar voice, and quickly clenched his fists once his eyes came into focus. Slowly walking through the door frame was a lean Japanese man wearing two red fingerless gloves, white karate pants with purple flames etched onto the legs, and a mysterious device strapped to his right wrist. His torso was left exposed to allow his toned but scarred body to be revealed in all of its glory. The pyramid-like dark gray hair was enough to identify him, but the man's unique left eye was what really caught Jin's attention: the iris was bright red, while the pupil was neon blue. Another mutation, Jin thought as he quickly assumed a fighting stance while his father walked towards him. It's remarkable just how inhuman he looks, even though I've faced him numerous times in the past.

"Kazuya Mishima," Jin got out of his fighting stance and pointed an accusing finger at his father. "I should have known that you were behind all of this: where do you get off at, letting thousands of people suffer at random? Does it give you a sick feeling of pleasure, watching them squirm?"

"There is nothing amusing about innocent deaths, Jin," Kazuya's face was void of expression while he coldly answered Jin's question. "It might be an unfortunate necessity in the name of a greater good, but it certainly isn't amusing." The sinister martial artist calmly crossed his arms as he finally stopped walking and stood in place. "Now, why did you decide to come alone? Aren't you one who always advocated teamwork among your comrades?"

"They don't have the experience that I have involving your evil ways: I see no reason to get tangled up with you," Jin replied with equal cold as he lowered his arm. "Unfortunately, one member seems to have already done so."

Kazuya raised an eyebrow upon hearing such a response. "What do you mean by that: are you referring to the young Masamune and how his father used to be under my employ?"

"As a matter of fact, no." Jin took a deep breath prior to answering Kazuya. "I'm talking about my cousin, Asuka Kazama!" Letting out a battle cry, Jin unexpectedly sprung into action and attacked his father with a jumping Vacuum kick to his chest. The impact of such a stunt would topple anyone else, but Kazuya merely took a couple of steps backward and shrugged off the blow as easily as he would shrug off an accidental bump. As Jin landed, he received a sudden kick to the head that it forced him back onto his feet.

"Who told you about this supposed connection?" Kazuya said with a hint of rage before following with a quick punch and an impaling knee that caused Jin to cough up blood before falling to his knees. "Was it that fool Sorel? You really shouldn't take everything he says with face value."

"Nice try, asshole," Jin spat back as he rose back up with a quick uppercut that launched his father into the air. "That slimeball colleague of yours may be insane, but I know how his mind games work." Pressing onward with the assault with a quick pair of shuttle punches, Jin sent Kazuya crashing into a nearby wall. "Now tell me the truth, Kazuya! What is your connection to her?"

"Why should tell you, son," Kazuya again avoided the question as he got back onto his feet and dusted himself off. "Will it make you feel better if I do? Will it calm the storm that is brewing in your mind?"

"Shut up! How dare you preach to me after all you've done!" Jin's body began to crackle with power as his morpher reacted accordingly. "This time, there will be no escape: I'm going to finish what I started back in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4, and leave you a bloody mess! There won't even be enough of you to put in a paper bag!" As he said, a bright red bubble of light encased his body while his morpher flashed violently. When the figurative bubble burst and the light faded, standing in Jin's place was the valiant defender of Tokyo, ShinkenRed.

"Remarkable indeed," Kazuya nodded his head in approval before putting his thumb to his mouth. "Since you have made a decision to not hold anything back…then neither shall I." Biting his thumb until he drew blood, Kazuya hunched down and dress the kanji "metsu" on the floor before punching the kanji with his fist. Almost an instant after his hand struck the ground, a familiar sight greeted Jin's eyes: several reptilian monsters popping out of the ground like targets in the whack-a-mole game he would frequent at the arcade after school. Unlike their predecessors, these Lizard-men were yellow in color and had spikes on their back that were as sharp as razors.

"These things again," Jin muttered as he clenched his fist. "Stop hiding behind your foot soldiers and fight me fair and square!" Quickly stepping to his right to dodge a Lizard-man that had the audacity and bloodlust to lunge at him, Jin punished the creature with a quick backhanded punch that was followed by a kick to its hip that sent it flying away.

Another Lizard-man snuck up behind Jin and bared its sharp claws before taking a swipe at the karateka's back, drawing forth sparks from the suit. Jin winced in pain as he turned around to kick the reptile in its snout before crouching down and letting his fist fly to send it screeching across the floor with a powerful Corpse Thrust. "In just four short hits, they fall like leaves." Jin hissed before turning to two more Lizard-men that were preparing to strike. "Go back to wherever you came from, or you'll be joining them!"

However, Jin had forgotten in the heat of battle that the Lizard-men had little to no understanding of the human language, and instead the leather-headed duo Jumped up into the air and curled up so that when they landed, they began rolling towards Jin like boulders. So bizarre was such a tactic that Jin was unable to anticipate their spines grinding against his suit like circular saws, eliciting a shout of pain and a shower of sparks before Jin was knocked off his feet.

Uncurling their bodies, the two Lizard-men watched Jin get back up and quickly pounced upon him, signaling the other Lizard-men to do the same. With reptilian savagery, they sank their claws and fangs into Jin, occasionally jumping back in surprise when sparks shot out of the suit as a result. However, they soon realized it was merely a prelude to the juicy meat that lay within the deceptively resilient spandex, and pounced back onto him and continued to engage in their frenzy.

Stop it…stop it, Jin muttered as he tried to shake off the horde that was trying to feast on his flesh. Finally gaining the wiggle room he needed, Jin's body burned with power as he tossed the Lizard-men away in a single, sudden burst of energy. "GET OFF OF ME!"

Jin's breath was haggard as he looked around at the Lizard-men sprawled across the room, and then slowly turned his head to Kazuya. Kazuya simply had his arms crossed, patiently waiting for the conflict to end. Pointing to his father as the Lizard-men flipped back onto their feet, Jin hissed one simple word:

"Watch..."

Blocking a horizontal swipe from one Lizard-man without even looking, Jin roared with fierce intensity as he swung around and grabbed the gnashing jaws of the reptile and began to push them apart as they tried to chomp down on his throat. With another shout, Jin used all his might to pull the two ends apart and rip the monster's jaws out. When he pulled this stunt a few weeks before, he became paralyzed with excitement and fear. This time around, there was no hesitation.

Jin looked at the two jaws for a moment, breathing heavily while the impact of what he had just done sank in. The past few weeks had given him a brutal edge that dared not let loose in front of the others. He was now at the metaphorical final lap, and the finish line would be just beyond these Lizard-men. Tossing the jaws down, Jin resumed his fighting stance as the other Lizard-men came at him.

Jin launched the first Lizard-man that came close enough to him into the air with a quick uppercut, and followed up with an aerial assault that consisted of a right hook, a left palm, and another powerful right thrust that sent the Lizard-man flying onto the operating table. Two more Lizard-men jumped up and again curled up into a ball in an attempt to down Jin with the same tactic that had been successful moments ago. "Be warned, monsters," Jin shouted to the oncoming Lizard-men, though he knew they didn't understand him now that he could think a bit more clearly. "I'm in a bad mood: come at me at your own risk!"

This time, Jin was prepared for the rolling attack, jumping over the first Lizard-man that came his way and kicking the second into the air like a soccer player would keep a ball afloat in the sky. "This is a little trick that I learned from Hwoarang," he stated to no in particular as he launched the Lizard-man high into the air and jumped up after it. "Have a taste of this!" Jin sent the creature crashing into the first rolling monster with an aerial kick that left red sparks in its wake, and landed gracefully on the ground and prepared for the next challenger.

The next Lizard-man ducked under Jin's standing roundhouse kick and countered with a headbutt to the chest that knocked Jin away. The karateka landed on his hands and flipped back onto his feet just in time of avoid a high tail whip. With a quick shout, Jin sent the Lizard-man spiraling away with a quick Wind Hook Fist. Another Lizard-man tried to attack from behind, but Jin kicked it away before chasing after it and punching it in the throat while it was down.

The last trio of Lizard-men did not attack with their limbs: rather, their spines crackled with power before unleashing a fiery stream of death from their mouths. Surprised by such a technique, Jin was helpless to avoid the blasts from colliding with his body. With his screams of agony echoing throughout the room, Jin fell down on his knees as the force of the streams began to overwhelm him.

What power, I had no idea the Lizard-man horde had this ability, Jin thought as he struggled to regain his footing. However, even this won't stop me! I won't rest until I've beaten him to the ground!

Summoning all of his strength, Jin's body began to glow bright red as he stood back up and slowly proceeded to walk towards the Lizard-men despite the flames blowing against him. The pain was close to unbearable, but the screaming had stopped. Running out of breath, the Lizard-men's fire died down as they began wheezing for air. Unfortunately for them, Jin wasn't about to give them a time-out.

Changing speeds suddenly, Jin began running towards the reptiles with his fist raised, and plunged himself into the group. One Lizard-man bit him in the air, and it paid for it with a punch to the eye that crushed its optical nerves and brought forth a shrill cry of pain. Another reptilian warrior shot out its tail at Jin, but the karateka caught it and ripped it off, and the cries became louder as another one joined in. The final Lizard-man jumped into the air and kicked Jin in the chest with its clawed feet and scratched his armor with a spray of sparks. Jin didn't scream like his foes, but simply grabbed the leg that kicked him and ripped it off, causing that particular creature to join its comrades in their symphony of agony.

"You creatures seem to enjoy carnage and destruction," Jin shouted as he flipped away and focused his ki into his hands. "Why do you scream? Is it not as satisfying when you're not on the offensive!?" Rearing his hands back, crimson power swirled in his palms as he prepared to finish off his brief but bloody battle with the Lizard-men. "Feel the pain and suffering of everyone and everything you've destroyed! SHINKEN ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE: TEKKENSHU MAELSTROM!"

Unleashing his gathered energy in the form of a red streak of lightning, Jin blasted the remaining Lizard-men and turned their bodies to ash as he listened to their cries die down quickly. When it was all over, Jin put his hands down and took deep, haggard breaths once again before turning back to Kazuya. "If you're trying to wear me down, then you better summon more Lizard-men to hide behind!" The young martial artist resumed his fighting stance as Kazuya unfolded his arms. "There is no force on Earth that will keep me away from you!"

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However, Kazuya did not respond with words, but with a leaping kick that sent Jin sprawling across the room. After Jin landed on his back, Kazuya graced his son with words. "I see that you have become stronger since I last saw you: I am thoroughly impressed." Running towards Jin just as he was getting back up, Kazuya once again had his son fly through the air, only with a powerful leaping Thunder Godfist as his propulsion. "You have exceeded my expectations, and they have always been high."

"Don't patronize me, scumbag," Jin retorted as landed on his feet and ran towards his father with violent intent burning in his eyes. "I don't need your mocking encouragement to defeat you!" Launching his father into the air with a Thrust Godfist, Jin pummeled his father while he was dangling helpless in the air with a pair of straight punches, a standing roundhouse kick, and a Wind Hook Fist that had Kazuya spinning to the ground.

"Well, if you do intend on defeating me," Kazuya wiped the blood of his mouth and stood back up just in time to dodge Jin's kick, "I do hope you don't mean to do so with such feeble techniques." The elder warrior showed his son what a successful kick looked like by striking the side of his head with his foot before following with a punch to the chest, another kick to the head, and a powerful gut punch that sent Jin spiraling away in a similar manner that Kazuya had been knocked away only seconds earlier.

"Look at this," Kazuya stomped on the jewel embedded in Jin's chest and grinded his heel into it. "You're in Shinkenger mode and you're still no match for me: how very sad. Perhaps I spoke too soon when I said that you had exceeded my expectations…"

"SHUT UP!" Jin knocked Kazuya's foot away and attacked his father with renewed vigor, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks before concluding with a boot to the shin that caused his foe to kneel in pain. Taking advantage of the opening, Jin's fist lashed out at his father and sent his flying across the room. "You are the worst of the worst, Kazuya: the ultimate evil that has to be extinguished!"

"The ultimate evil, you say?" Kazuya said after he crashed into a wall before standing back up and rubbing where he had landed. "Do you think I am worthy of such a prestigious title when I have such competition in the form of your grandfathers, Bryan Fury, and Jean Sorel? How very flattering…"

"Heihachi and Sorel, despite being scumbags, are human: they at least make some sort of attempt to benefit society despite their evil ambition. You, on the other hand, are nothing but evil ambition!" Jin dashed towards Kazuya with inhuman speed and picked him up by his collar. "You were but a small child when the Devil spirit entered your body, but when redemption came your way when you were resurrected, you chose evil yet again! You are a disease to this planet, spreading like a virus and ruining the lives of everyone you're involved with!"

However, Kazuya showed no fear as Jin reared back his fist: in truth, he found Jin's speech amusing enough to wear a frightening smirk. "If you want to see the true monster, just take a look at your own blood-stained hand."

"What are you talking a-" Jin put his free hand in front of him and dropped Kazuya as he looked at it: it was no longer a gloved hand, but a black claw that was a grotesque imitation of a human hand. Recognizing the claw for what it was, Jin frantically looked at the rest of his suit: black markings had adorned his armor, just like they would adorn his flesh whenever he was about to transform.

"You didn't even notice that you were beginning to transform," Kazuya kicked Jin away with a roundhouse kick while his son's body began to drip with dark red energy. "You may curse me, but you have become just like me: a Devil inside and out. The transformation has become so common that you don't even notice it anymore."

"But how…why?"

"Your damnation has been slow, to be sure," Kazuya began pacing dramatically as he watched black wings slowly sprout from Jin's back. "You see, the reason I went after you back in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 was because I needed your half of the Devil Gene to complete my weakened power, but I have since abandoned such an ambition. The same holds true for you: if you acquire mine, you will have all the power to yourself.

"The monsters that you have been defeating all possess a minute amount of Devil power, as that is what powers them, and every time you defeat one, it increases your power that much."

"Then…that's why I started to transform when Xiaoyu was attacked by that damn whale," Jin muttered as he coughed up blood beneath his helmet. "But answer my question: WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!?"

"Because against G-Corporation, the Zaibatsu's warriors as they are now are still insufficient: toppling them would require the full power of the Devil Gene…and they still haven't picked you apart, the last time I checked." Kazuya stopped pacing as he gave his full attention to Jin, who had just now begun to sprout horns from the sides of his helmet which grew in a direction parallel to eyesight. "However, the main reason I am doing to you is because you couldn't mind your own business, and I intend to make you pay!"

Charging his ki, Kazuya's left eye glowed both red and blue while purple electricity crackled across his body and flowed into his morpher until it radiated a dark red and uttered in a feminine robotic voice, "Standing by..." Putting his mouth to his morpher, Kazuya whispered softly, "Henshin."

With that simple command, Kazuya's body was enveloped in dark red power that completely swallowed up his body momentarily. Jin struggled to get back onto his feet and tried to attack him, but he was sent flying backwards with a standing roundhouse kick as the energy dissipated to reveal Kazuya's new appearance: the fearsome Disciple of Despair, ShinkenSlayer. As Kazuya cracked his neck in anticipation, Jin howled in unbearable pain as bristly black hair grew out of the sides of his arms as if his suit and skin had fused. "Now come forth, fearsome soul taker: come forth, OniShinkenRed!"

It's a pity it had to come down to this, Kazuya mused as Jin stood back up and let out a primal scream. You would have made a fine associate had things worked out differently…