Canto 10: Has Evil Overcome?
Their names are Genjuro Kabagami and Ryuji Yamazaki. The time difference between the two are nearly 200 years, and although they are of different houses, they act uncannily alike.
Each of them are Hell-Bent at
annihilating the main hero of their respective game! Each have powers that
could easily rival, if not overpower, the hero. Each cares nothing for
their own life, nor for any of those around them. Their only concern is the
fight, and how exactly they wish to kill their victims. Each have killed
more than they care to count, and they both seem to enjoy it (although
Ryuji may more, due to possible low-level Blood-Riots).
(This pre-clash
will be the only one in this Canto where the combatants will meet in round
1. The rest may occur in the future).
It seems that they are very evenly matched. Genjuro wields a large blade, while Ryuji only wields a dagger (as far as a blade goes). However, Genjuro is only a man, filled only with hatred, especially for Haohmaru.
Ryuji, on the other hand, is embedded with the with the Dark Power of Orochi, a possible (demi)god. Orochi has often empowered his followers to unbelievable, and even impossible levels to accomplish his mission. Ryuji has already proven capable of going head-to-head with the infamous Iori, and this is without the aid of Orochi. Just what could he be capable of should he Awaken?
Don't underestimate Genjuro, though. Haohmaru had been able to defeat a god. Genjuro was trained by Caffeine, along with Haohmaru. Could it be that he has some hidden, unknown potential that no one, not even Genjuro, would be aware of? We shall see, as their match will soon begin. Who is the strongest Hell-Bent Bastard!?
One is Geese Howard, the tormentor of the 20th century. The other is Amakusa Shiro Toshin, the tormentor of the 18th century. These two could possibly conquer their respective worlds, but have been turned back by Terry Bogard and Haohmaru. Now, they have teamed up together, and time is now on their side. They can now control time, bending it toward their vile purposes. Perhaps the only way for them to truly lose is if one gets too greedy, too soon.
Geese may not be the most powerful fighter in the world, but he is one of the smartest, craftiest, and most under-handed...EVER!
To throw off his enemies and to take time to regroup after an "upset loss" to Terry, he had faked his own death. This allowed them to "breath easily," while he was recuperating and plotting all along. Now, he is back, and in control of a machine that allows for time-travel. As he had said, "...As long as this wound remains unhealed, my power will only continue to grow!" In fact, it has. He has developed a move even stronger than the Raging Storm, one that is higher, reaches farther, burns, and can kill more. Can Terry's Power Geyser overpower it, when they inevitably clash, or has Geese finally been able to overpower Terry? Perhaps Terry still has some hidden potential.
By one of those "strange coincidences," Amakusa was working on a rite for allowing him to pass through the corridors of time and space. Now, working together to blend Geese's technology with Amakusa's magic, they have accomplished what they had set out to do, and have obtained even more!
Amakusa had also taken a brief hiatus. There were rumors that he was dead, although there was no one story, and nobody else seems to know the truth. What exactly happened to Amakusa during the time Mizuki was possessed? With the power of the demon possessing her, why didn't Amakusa seek out the demon for a sacrifice? We may soon learn what had transpired and how Amakusa has come back. During his brief hiatus, it also seems that he has learned a few new attacks, each more powerful than before. Can his Rival, Haohmaru, defeat him, or will Genjuro get to him first? As they inevitably will attempt to double-cross each other, who would win between Amakusa and Geese?
Next, we look at Wolfgang Krauser and Zankuro. They are possibly the biggest men of their respective factions, both in built, height, and weight. Both are fearsome warriors, each being near impossible for many to defeat.
Krauser has attacked, defeated, and even killed many of his opponents. Just after Terry defeated Geese in their first match, Krauser sought out Terry. Unable to find the reclusive Terry, he went on a devastating, yet calculated, rampage. Krauser only attacked those who were close to Terry, leaving a message that he was the supreme fighter, and that the man who defeated Geese Howard was who he sought. Only once they clashed would he stop terrorizing South Town.
He held his own King Of Fighters Tournament, to which Terry had entered. As Krauser expected, Terry won, although in the last few fights, it seemed as if it would go the other way.
Finally, in a lone room, with no spectators, they clashed. Each scored several hard hits, but Krauser was doing more than Terry. This was due to the fact that Krauser was obviously stronger, and the fact that he hadn't endured in the grueling tournament, whilst Terry had. It seemed that for each good wave of attacks Terry used, Krauser doubled it. Krauser decided to finish it and prepared for the Kaiser Wave. At the last instant, Terry got out of the way, and Krauser felt Terry's Power Geyser. Terry was shocked when he got up to see Krauser standing. Then, Krauser said that he would not live in defeat, and allowed himself to fall out a window, to the lake below.
Terry collapsed as Andy, Joe, and Mai broke in. He was severely injured, and had to be rushed to the nearest hospital. While Andy was busy with doctors (and Mai tagged along), Joe was phoning those that he knew that Terry had defeated Krauser.
This is also where Terry first met Mary. She had a room right next to his...it appears she had a mild case of food-poisoning!
The demon, Zankuro, has a similar path of destruction carved out. Alone, armed only with his huge blade, he slaughtered entire villages, killing men, women, and children by the score. Why was he doing it? Was he looking for somebody, or something? Perhaps it is merely because he is a demon, and "that's what demon do!"
Whatever the reason may be, when he slaughter the village of a baby later to be called Shizumaru Hisame, he let the boy live. Now, he decided to only kill strong warriors, and not innocent others. Why was there a sudden change in Zankuro? Was Hisame the one he had been looking for. If so, why did finding him cause Zankuro to end his cullings? Could that young boy be the one who undoes him, or could he be his follower?
Years passed, and the young boy became known as Shizumaru Hisame. However, he was still plagued by the vision of Zankuro, and also had problems with his own demon. He lacked the ability, as well as the talent, to defeat Zankuro in battle.
One day, he met the vaga-bound samurai, Haohmaru. Probably more in amusement than anything else, Haohmaru taught Shizumaru the way of the blade. To Haohmaru's surprise, the boy was a fast learner, and became an expert in his own right. He had the skill, but lacked the experience, as well as the power to fight Zankuro, so Haohmaru vowed to defeat him. A few days later, he left his young friend, who had made Haohmaru a sort of brother, in search of Zankuro. However, Hisame followed, determined that he should be the one to vanquish Zankuro.
Unfortunately, Fate was not entirely kind for the young boy, for he lost to Ukyo, although he taxed Ukyo like few had ever done before. In the end, Zankuro met the challenge of Haohmaru. In a blinding flash of blades clashing, Haohmaru emerges victorious. Zankuro disappears without a trace. Slowly, the warriors collect themselves, and try put together some idea of what had happened.
Rimmururu attends to her friend, Shizumaru. Elsewhere, Charlotte attends to the barely breathing Haohmaru. For a moment, he opens his eyes, and their gaze locks. He breathes her name, closes his eyes, and sleeps.
Now that Zankuro, Krauser, Amakusa, and Geese are now working together, will we finally meet our end, or will they become too greedy, and their plans fall through? Krauser is an exceptional warrior, but can he fend off a demon? As agendas are made, and the matches get started, the one question on everybody's mind is, what's next?
All of the trouble began when Mai went snooping with Mary through Geese's old abandoned factory. As she tries to escape, she crosses past an odd machine, which zaps her nearly 200 years into the past, and into Japan. At the same time, Charlotte gets blasted from France to present day South Town (Don't ask me how, it just did!).
Mai fancies Andy Bogard of the Bogard brothers (although there hasn't actually been a reason...bet Andy would like to know why). In fact, she fancies the idea of them being married in the very near future, while Andy avoids the idea like a plague! However, Mai often resorts to being a little rough with Andy to get her way, and Andy is often left in a hard situation (after all, it wouldn't be right for him to hit his future wife, I mean a lady, right?).
It's not until Mai gets zapped that Andy understands just how much he really cares for her. He feels guilty about her disappearance, and wants to make it up to her, which may get him into trouble in the future, should she try and hold him to it.
Charlotte's relationship with Haohmaru is also rocky, to say the least. She really loves him, but Haohmaru doesn't really share her feelings, at least he doesn't show them. Does he still hold feeling for Oshizu, or is there something more? On a many occasions, Charlotte has helped Haohmaru when he was in trouble, and on several of them, his life hung in the balance...along with the rest of the world. On many of these events, she has even risked her life to save him, especially from himself and his own stubbornness.
Like when Mai had disappeared from Andy, Haohmaru was also changed when Charlotte had been zapped. This has been one of the few times he actually acknowledges how he feels for her, although he denies them to her. What exactly is he so afraid of? Does he still feel obligated to Oshizu, or is it that he doesn't want a woman who will get up in his face, without any fear? Charlotte has proven on several occasions that she will get in his face and let him know how she feels about something. She has even interjected herself between Haohmaru and Genjuro when Genjuro had sought to kill off Haohmaru.
"Which will it be, Genjuro? Do you strike a lady to get at Haohmaru, finally satisfying your quest for revenge, or do you wait another time? Which is bigger, your pride - or your honor?"
Genjuro was, needless to say, PISSED! However, he IS a man of honor, and left promising that they would have their day.
What will it be like for these battling beauties to go at it, woman to woman?
Last, but not least, are the two main heroes, Terry Bogard, and Haohmaru. Each are plagued by various mega-powered foes who have reigned control of the tournaments they have fought in.
Terry has fought against Geese, as well as the monster, Krauser. In addition, he had fought against the mysterious Rugal, Goenitz, and the entity known as Orochi. Haohmaru has fought against Amakusa, Mizuki, and Zankuro.
In addition, they have been ravaged by deadly rivals, both of whom want them dead. Terry's rival is the madman, Ryuji. Not only is he Hell-Bent at annihilating Terry, he also wants to claim Terry's girlfriend, Blue Mary, as his own. For the first time since being pounded by Krauser, Terry wonders if he can defeat his opponent. Ryuji isn't an ordinary man; he is of the Orochi clan, a clan whose members have been known to kill thousands, without the aid of others or weaponry. What's more, Ryuji has yet to feel the full power of his Blood. These men and women are on edge, waiting for what may happen when the time comes.
Haohmaru's rival is Genjuro. What makes him so deadly, in addition to his power and hatred for Haohmaru, is that little is known about him. He had trained with Haohmaru under Caffeine, but what about before then?
Starting soon, the first matches of round 1! Hurry up, because when the time's set, that's all, and you will have to wait until round 2 to show who you want for the winners of the next fight!
©1999