Chapter 17: Northern Lights, Part 4
Kazuya slowly stood up, very reluctantly, moving Jun off of him. It had been way too long since he'd had proper sex, and of course, Azazel had to show up right on time to ruin the party. How typical. He wouldn't expect anything less.
He probably even did it on purpose, damn it. He really was a demon. Or maybe he didn't understand what that meant because there was nothing dangling between the legs of that crystal doll.
Kazuya and Jun took up fighting stances, ready to finish this together, for once united in the same purpose, or so Kazuya was fairly sure. The frustration was very evident on the woman's face. That was something they were both good at.
But the fight didn't start right away. Something quite eye-catching happened first.
Jimbo fell from the Protectorate building with something in his arms. Only when he landed, and that something burst open like a piñata—if piñatas were mostly filled with blood and guts—did Kazuya realize what had just happened.
"You killed Vista." If you're surprised he remembered the stupid superhero name of a little girl, imagine how surprised Kazuya was himself.
"You bastards!" someone shouted from inside the building, the voice of a young guy. Clockblocker, probably.
"So what, Master?"
"Well," Kazuya shrugged, "it's a little dark for this story."
You had to admit it.
"You tore that woman apart."
"Yeah, but at least I sang a song while I did it. That's where the fun is. You, a cute bear, just killed a little girl, just like that. With your belly."
Jimbo scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. Well, Kazuya didn't like scolding him either, but it was his responsibility as the Master. Besides, Jimbo was messing up the delicate balance of the story.
"Well, she was trying to kill me, to be fair. And that probably was only funny to the author."
"Stop breaking the fourth wall or I'll break your bones," growled Azazel, stepping closer, each of his steps making the ground tremble. Not just because of his size, which wasn't that big, but because nature itself responded to him. It yielded.
A strange wind blew through all of them. If you asked Kazuya, he wouldn't be able to tell you what they had been talking about a few seconds, or maybe minutes, earlier. But he didn't like mysteries at all, so he opened his mouth to ask. However, Jun beat him to it.
"What were we doing?"
And his doubts vanished in an instant. He even forgot that he had doubted in the first place.
"I think we were about to have wild sex."
"Oh, right." Jun blushed. Well, at least she admitted it.
"About to fight me," Azazel had to chime in.
"That too." Kazuya nodded.
"I hate you both."
Well, the feeling was mutual. After all, Azazel had robbed him of the chance to have the best sex of his life and conceive another child he would happily neglect.
As for what happened during the Third World War or in this universe, where Azazel had just screwed him over after that golden bastard had sliced him in half?
What's done is done.
When the fight started, Kazuya went for Azazel immediately. One might say the ideal thing would be to keep his distance and shoot him with his demon ray over and over until he fell. There was no need to trade blows with that giant monster. But that just wasn't his style.
Besides, the closer he stayed, the harder it was to miss. All advantages.
Jun and Jimbo did the same since they didn't have any long-range attacks to begin with. Besides, they didn't need them. They demonstrated good coordination.
As for Kazuya and Jun, it was because they were married. Really married. Despite the little time they'd spent together and their differences, they were in sync. As for the bear, well, the only explanation was that Kazuya had trained him too well in under a week. Either that, or he was a natural fighter. That seemed accurate too.
Azazel was big, but that wasn't an advantage. Not really, against opponents strong enough to hurt him and when outnumbered. His attacks weren't particularly hard to dodge.
It was impossible not to see them coming in time. The only question was whether you could react fast enough.
Because despite his enormous size, he was, of course, very fast. As if he weighed nothing, despite the tremors he caused wherever he went.
That's why victory wasn't inevitable with the three of them fighting together.
He was fast as a blizzard, faster than he should be. The earth and the wind undoubtedly gave him the extra push he needed. He didn't have to cause earthquakes or topple skyscrapers to prove his dominion over nature.
The reaction time of the three was exceptional, though Kazuya would never say that out loud.
But even so, they couldn't dodge all the attacks. Some they just had to endure as best they could. Their bodies were tough, but if things went on like this, they would eventually wear down, like any human would.
Yes.
Like any fight, the question was who would wear out first. Even though Azazel was bigger and stronger, he was still at a numerical disadvantage. His superiority wasn't overwhelming enough to ignore the power of three exceptional fighters focused solely on crushing him.
They had the upper hand.
The fight was going well, so of course, it was interrupted right away. Down came the man in Greek armor and wielding a lightning spear. The guy who thought he was the god of thunder or something.
Still, he was effortlessly repelled by Jun. She tore the spear from him and then struck him in the chest with both palms. The force of the impact lifted his feet off the ground. It probably would have separated his torso from the rest of his body if not for the armor.
"Look at him fly," said Jimbo.
"He was probably here to lend a hand," said Kazuya. Not that he cared, just commenting.
But Jun hadn't realized it. She blushed right to the tips of her ears.
"Oh."
And that's all she could say.
There was nothing more to be done, so the fight continued with just the three of them. Better that way, actually—they didn't need anyone else. Kazuya didn't even need those two, but well, he wasn't about to throw them out either.
Azazel roared.
For just a moment, his speed doubled. That was enough. He managed to grab Kazuya by the ankle, lifting him upside down like a child's toy. Kazuya struggled in his grip, flapping his wings, firing the beam from his third eye without aiming.
He couldn't slip away or break free.
He didn't need to. Jimbo came rolling in, sweeping Azazel's legs out from under him. The monster stumbled forward. He probably would have regained his balance without issue, but Jun was there to take advantage of that moment of weakness.
She practically flew in and kicked him square in the mouth.
Azazel staggered back through a wall. When he fell, the debris piled on top of him, sliding around and over the spiked glass.
Meanwhile, Kazuya landed with as much grace as he could muster.
It wasn't the end of the fight, not by a long shot, but it was satisfying to see him like that. More surprised than hurt. Humiliated, in a way. He didn't think any of them could put up real resistance.
It was still too early, but in time, they would make him show fear.
The three of them charged Azazel again at the same time. The clash would have been truly epic, if not for the fact that, once again, they were rudely interrupted by someone landing in their midst, the shockwave sending the four of them flying apart. Well, now five.
Five, exactly.
"We're saved!" someone shouted.
Kazuya didn't find it so pleasant.
"That bastard."
"What happened?"
"He split me in half. I got better." Yeah, it was that golden-skinned asshole who had defeated him with a single blow. By luck, surely. Only by luck.
Apparently, Azazel didn't like the golden Ken doll either. And yes, he could call him a Ken doll. In that tight white suit, well, you'd be able to tell if he had anything between his... Not that Kazuya had looked that closely or anything. He wasn't gay.
In any case, Azazel seemed surprised, even a little scared. Kazuya had been worried he'd have to deal with both problems at once, but now it seemed like that wouldn't be necessary.
"What are you?" Azazel demanded.
However, the golden man remained silent.
"What the hell are you?"
"Not much of a talker, it seems," Kazuya said. He wasn't sure if the guy was physically capable of talking, to be honest. But he had no problem hearing. Kazuya knew that because the man turned his head mechanically, locking his dagger-like eyes on him. "Ah, I see you recognize me. Hello, asshole."
"And you? Have you completely forgotten about me?"
Kazuya looked around several times, feeling as though he had somehow heard a voice that didn't belong to any of those present. Of course, he wasn't counting the background characters. But why would a background character step forward? That's what they existed for—to stay in the damn background.
"What was that?"
He wasn't addressing anyone in particular, so Jimbo was the one who answered.
"The voice of your conscience?" Jimbo responded to his question with another, not very convinced, and rightly so.
"I don't think so. We haven't seen each other in decades."
The little golden one joined the fight. Now it was five against four, and as much as it stung, he had to admit that the golden one was the most dangerous person here. If it was even a person, which he seriously doubted.
I'm not very human either, he thought, so that's no excuse.
Maybe not today, maybe not this year, but someday. He would add it to his list of things to do.
As if that weren't enough, unlike their exceptionally brief fight before, the golden one wasn't using rays of the same color as him, but was fighting hand-to-hand.
It didn't take long for him to realize that, on top of everything, he was copying his fighting style.
Not imitating. Copying it perfectly, without any training.
He clicked his tongue. He wasn't human, there was no doubt about that. It was one of the most frustrating things he'd ever seen in his life. There wasn't a shred of doubt about that either.
Azazel struck the ground. Crystal spikes bloomed in a radius of six hundred and seventy degrees, but they mostly chased Jun, who seemed to dance as she nimbly dodged them. That was his girl.
She ended up cornered against the wall, and he thought he'd have to go rescue her, risking looking like he cared.
But he didn't have to.
Jimbo, like a true gentleman, came rolling in, shattering the spikes that had trapped her into a thousand pieces as he passed. Jun could have done the same, of course; she had more than enough strength. But not as quickly.
"Good boy," he thought. "Good boy."
He almost forgot that the damn bastard was copying his fighting style. He hadn't even invented it himself, but it still bothered him. The lack of effort. It wasn't even a matter of talent, the guy was cheating, plain and simple.
Which didn't matter, he knew. He didn't need to focus on that right now.
The final battle against this monster. He didn't need Azazel's power. The power from the original source of the Devil Gene. But if he defeated him and absorbed it, it would definitely be easier to take down Heihachi. He didn't know what would happen to him, how he would transform, but Kazuya wasn't easily frightened. His body was more demonic than human. He had no doubt he could withstand Azazel's power.
And if that meant he had to pretend he needed help and fight side by side with that walking Oscar statue, well, he'd do it. He would be patient for now.
The bastard landed every punch into Azazel's body and tore off chunks of flesh, so to speak, with ease. Even so, Azazel didn't slow down. Quite the opposite. Sensing his defeat was approaching, he was finally getting serious. Drawing strength from sources he hadn't had to tap into for millennia.
Kazuya couldn't read that damn thing's mind, but he was sure that's what was happening anyway.
He wasn't going to let that statue have all the glory.
This fight wouldn't mean anything if, in the end, it came down to a creature like Azazel crushing another of his kind.
After what felt like an eternity, the moment came.
The shark smelled blood in the water.
I've got you, Kazuya thought, smiling savagely. The truth was, he'd had help, but he wasn't about to let that spoil his mood now.
Besides, the honor of the final blow would be his.
He flipped Azazel around, grabbing him by the tail with both arms and spinning him around and around, like a top.
Then he threw him into the sky.
Kazuya shot up like a bullet. His takeoff cracked the ground beneath his feet. He closed in on Azazel with great speed, electricity roaring in his iron fist. The stake that he drove into the beast's heart pierced its body until he felt something like a heart in his hand.
"No. No. Impossible!" protested the first devil.
A very cliché way to leave this world, but that's how it was. Refusing to accept defeat, screaming, helpless.
Azazel exploded, finally dying, and his power became part of him. That allowed Kazuya to transform into an even more superior being. The ultimate form of the Devil. Kazuya smiled amidst the sky painted black with Azazel's ashes. The eye of the storm? He felt like the storm itself now.
Kazuya landed in the midst of those celebrating the victory. His victory.
Jun smiled at him, Jimbo applauded very enthusiastically, and a few strangers cheered and filled the space. The golden guy just looked at him, but he'd take that as some kind of congratulations.
He wasn't used to others celebrating his victories. It was a strange feeling, though not entirely unpleasant.
With Jun, he wasn't as eloquent as in his thoughts.
"Jun, I feel like we actually had sex. Or even better."
"Shut up." He figured it made sense she'd be a little offended—just a bit. "Do you think that form turns me on?"
"I don't know. Does it?"
"Okay, it's true. A little. Just a little. Don't start getting cocky, or I'll punch you." She shook a fist as if she needed to make things clear, or as if she hadn't given him thousands of examples in the last few minutes, against Azazel.
"He's completely forgotten about me… about us." A strange voice.
Kazuya looked around frantically. Whatever it was, it escaped even his True Devil eyes. Come on, probably just a trick of the mind, a bad illusion.
"What was that? Whatever, hey, golden boy." He pointed at the guy with his chin. His defeat still stung, but... "That was good. Well fought."
He hoped it wouldn't go to his damn head.
That wasn't all. He could have said nothing, just turned around and left, but he felt like it. Just because. And because Kazuya was Kazuya, that was reason enough.
"I've only seen you twice, but it seems like all you have on your agenda is tearing people apart. So why don't you do it more often?" Kazuya shrugged. A simple piece of advice, yes, so simple he didn't understand how it hadn't occurred to this guy before. Except for the obvious reason, of course. It was obvious the guy wasn't the brightest—still had the lights on, but barely, hadn't paid the bills in a long time. Or something like that. Metaphors weren't his thing. "Maybe it'd get rid of that sour face, like you're sucking on a lemon. Clearly, helping people doesn't give you the same satisfaction, and why would it? They're all worms."
Jun gave him a pat on the back. Except "pat" wasn't the right word.
Kazuya heroically suppressed the urge to grimace.
"You give such good advice, Kazuya."
"I know, love. I know."
"Eh? I'll let it slide this time."
What for? He decided not to ask in case it was one of those things he was supposed to magically know. Women were a mystery not worth exploring too deeply, or you'd suddenly and frequently slam your head against a brick wall.
The golden man snapped his fingers.
At that moment, right in front of him, a tear opened in space. A portal.
He could see the volcano, the monster, and the fight that awaited him on the other side. But Heihachi didn't seem to be able to see him. It was like one of those one-way mirrors. Fitting, the isolated criminal in the room, awaiting the verdict.
"Oh. Finally, a way back home. That was an entertaining vacation. Come on, Jun, Jimbo."
He started walking toward the portal with something vaguely resembling a smile on his face and his hands on the shoulders of his traveling companions.
"Wait for me!"
That voice again, he thought. Maybe I'm just dehydrated.
Northern Lights, Part 4: FIN
Epilogue
Father against son. Demon against human. A feud written in blood and spanning many decades of suffering. Generation after generation. Here and now, on this volcano, it could finally come to an end.
"Finally, Kazuya. My nipples were going to fall off. Do you have any idea what it's like to spend days on a volcano without a shirt? Not much better than with one."
Kazuya frowned.
He wasn't taking their climactic encounter seriously enough. Well, whatever. At this point, he just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. His unexpected trip to another world had lasted too long.
"Hello, father-in-law," said Jun next to him, waving at him with one hand.
Not eagerly, not willing or happy, but doing her duty, so to speak. Still, Kazuya didn't like it. But it wouldn't be a problem for long. Because Heihachi would die in terrible agony. He'd get what he deserved.
Soon, very soon.
He felt it in his bones. Like a pleasant premonition for a change.
"Hello," Heihachi replied casually. He didn't seem surprised at all that Jun had survived. Maybe because he wasn't, or maybe because he hadn't even heard about her death in the first place. It wouldn't surprise him either. "Who's that kid? Did you two manage to reproduce again?"
I wish, he thought.
"Oh, yeah. Ciara," Kazuya said. "That's right."
"Let's finish this once and for all. Agreed?"
"Agre—"
Kazuya fell silent, suddenly and abruptly.
It wasn't an overreaction. A golden ray flew in from who knows where, obliterating his mortal enemy before he could blink.
He couldn't believe it, but Heihachi was dead, just like that.
So many years training, preparing. So many years planning his revenge, only for it to end this way. Without him having anything to do with it, and without knowing what the hell had just happened. It was too soon for him to connect the dots, no matter how obvious the connection was.
So Kazuya just dropped to his knees.
And he screamed until he lost his voice and pounded the ground, cracking the rock and sending magma flying over his head, and he was so, so furious that he didn't even feel the heat or the pain.
"No!"
In Awe of the Power: END
More like, "In Awe of the Shitposting."
Yes, the implication is that Kazuya convinces Scion to start the Gold Morning a few years earlier.
Happy ending?
