HIGHEST POINT IN THE CITY, 6:00PM
JUNE 26, 2012
As the evening sun glistened across the horizon, there were two individuals situated atop a skyscraper, taking in the evening view. One stood with his hands behind him, wearing a dark kimono. The other sat by his side, wearing a loose long-sleeved top white top with dark long pants, one of his legs dangling from the building, and his tied shoulder-length hair blowing with the wind; the two were Daisuke Taejin and Gyuwhan Ryujin.
Gyuwhan was sitting down, resting his head in his palm, with a gloomy look.
“I like a change of scenery from time to time…it’s boring inside that old place.”
“I agree. It’s somewhat relaxing here, Ryujin-sama.”
Facepalming, Gyuwhan responded to him saying,
“Could you stop calling me that?...Gyuwhan is just fine.”
“…stop reminding me of that geezer already.”
It had now been almost 2 years since that day…but as Gyuwhan gazed into the distance, he vividly recalled those final moments as if it was just yesterday…
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ABANDONED WAREHOUSE
UNDERGROUND LOUNGE
AUGUST 15, 2010
“So, is everyone here?”
Within the old warehouse, inside an underground chamber, sat Ivan Ryujin, Daisuke, and a third individual by the name of Mujin, another of Ivan’s right-hand men. They were about to commence a meeting with their associates; the leaders of the Big-Three, and the 3 leaders of the Dragons’ Religious Sect. Performing a Majutsu technique, they linked their energies across vast distances, manifesting their spirits inside the lounge, to discuss matters surrounding recent events.
“Hearing you loud and clear, old man,” Kallavan of the Inferno Gang responded.
“Oi, know your place. Stop acting all buddy-buddy with Ryujin-sama,” the Apocalypse Gang’s leader, Ringo Himura ordered Kallavan.
“This is why I despise working with you bland assholes,” Kallavan replied, irritated.
“Watch your mouth when you talk to me, peasant,” Ringo hit back at him.
“For God’s sake, both of you shut up!” Daisuke angrily commanded them.
“Good grief...can we get along for once? It’s always the same, especially with you two,” Ivan expressed.
“So, you requested a meeting, Boss?” Ringo asked.
“Yes. This meeting is being held for three reasons only. I want you all to take careful note of what I’m saying.”
“First of all, let me express how pleased I am with your progress over these years. It’s been quite challenging, but we’ve been able to make inroads regarding our ulterior goal.”
“Preachers, you lot have done an amazing job increasing the amount of following that the Dragon-Tails have. We now have loyal followers all over the country, who either serve as spies or simply backup. I’m truly grateful to you all.”
The 3 leaders, named Kentaro, Arata, and Mamoru, bowed themselves to Ivan.
“No need...we are quite honored, Ryujin-sama.”
Ivan turned to the gang leaders and acknowledged them as well;
“Also, Leaders of the Big-Three...Shigaraki Orochi, Kallavan...and Ringo Himura.”
“I must say, I appreciate the level of authority that you three enforce. I know dealing with near-mindless soldiers can be awfully draining, but you have all demonstrated incredible leadership, of which I’m nothing short of impressed. I’m glad to know I made the right choices.”
“Although...that blunder was quite embarrassing, Kallavan,” he drew reference to the incident from 3 days ago involving Steffan Rakulli, where he and his underlings ended up retreating to avoid reinforcements.
“Eh, Old Man?? I dealt the last hit in that battle!” Kallavan defended.
“Yes, but retreating when your opponent gets serious isn’t exactly a good look.”
“Shut it before I kill you, Ringo!” he threatened him.
“As I was saying, there are a few things I want to discuss in this meeting,” Ivan continued,
“Firstly...Ronin-san’s death.”
When the two other gang leaders and the preachers heard that, they were shocked. To hear such a high-ranking assassin like Ronin was now dead.
“Huh? Ronin’s dead?” Ringo asked surprisedly.
“An elite like him?...” Kentaro was bewildered.
“Oi, oi, oi...didn’t those Hunter bastards swear an oath?”
Kallavan was enraged after hearing this, and his energy steadily began to flare up among them.
“If they really had the balls to break that oath they made, we’ll massacre them.”
Ivan then calmed him down, giving him some more details on what really happened,
“Relax, Kallavan. Ronin-san had committed suicide after being captured and interrogated by the Hunters.”
“Tch, same thing, damn it!” he spat as he calmed down.
“...wait a minute, Boss. Interrogated?” Kallavan confusedly asked.
“Yes, that stuck out to me as well. He’s unable to reveal crucial information thanks to the Binding spell, right?” Ringo followed up.
“That, is the second topic of this meeting...go ahead, Shigaraki.”
“Yes Sir. What I’m showing you all right now are the memories I received from Ronin, right before he died. Please pay attention.”
Orochi-Style: Dragon Relay · 竜心移す (Ryu-shin Utsu-su)
Weaving hand signs, Shigaraki performed the Dragon Relay technique, displaying to his associates all the memories of Ronin before his death. They examined it all from start to finish, from the night he was captured up to the final attack dealt by Danjo. Witnessing everything, they couldn’t help but admire his integrity.
“Ronin...”
“Up until the very end, huh? What a guy.”
“Danjo...that sly bastard.”
“I was able to get rid of him, thanks to Ronin’s taunting. He lost his cool and left the safety of the Clans’ Barrier, leaving him defenseless to my control over him,” Shigaraki explained.
“Tenchi Yamaguchi...he’s a troublesome one. To think he actually managed to break the Binding spell...and as Ronin had deduced, it simply means they could get intel out of any of us, since it’s the same spell,” Mujin added.
“Yes. What I’m saying is, I’m going to have to rewrite the Binding spell. It’s a fairly simple process, so no need to worry,” Ivan announced.
Mujin however, had more words directed to Shigaraki:
“Oi, Shigaraki...I hope you’ve learned a valuable lesson from this.”
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“Don’t share intel with rugrats, you bastard.”
The room was quiet for a moment. Undeniably, Ronin was not one of the 9, meaning Shigaraki should have really thought twice before imparting certain knowledge to him.
But, the gang leader remembered the words that he spoke to his friend on that night…
“...rugrat, you say?” he asked for confirmation.
“If he’s not among the 9 of us, then what is he?” Mujin further provoked.
“I’ll fucking kill you.”
“BOTH OF YOU, STOP.”
This time, it was Ivan himself warning his subordinates to desist from conflict.
“...does an argument have to be the last thing I hear?”
In that moment, Ivan reminded them all that he was near death, and they were speechless.
“Sorry, Ryujin-sama,” Mujin apologized.
“Forgive me, Boss,” Shigaraki followed suit.
“Don’t worry...anyway, it’s time I bring up our third topic.”
Letting out a sigh…Ivan announced to them:
“...reinforcement of the Binding spell, means my death.”
They all looked at him in confusion; why would their elder die by conducting a simple spell? Furthermore, why would he do it if it meant an earlier death?
“Normally, it wouldn’t take anything out of me at all, but you all know how old I am. I’m on my last legs right now...rewriting the Binding spell for every single Dragon will definitely kill me.”
“Ryujin-sama-!” Daisuke cried out.
“Crazy geezer. Why would you cut the little time you have left short? At least do it when you’re about to die!” Kallavan advised, flustered.
“Ryujin-sama, why don’t you let us do it?” Ringo asked him.
“Excellent question, Ringo-san. But, only Hellam’s descendants can perform this spell. My son is unfortunately out of the question, since he’s not skilled enough to execute it.”
While they all sat in sorrow, Kallavan desperately grabbed at strings in seeking an alternate solution:
“Boss, is it really necessary to rewrite the spell? With Danjo dead, doesn’t that mean they now lack the secondary knowledge to even -”
“Kallavan,” Shigaraki interrupted,
“...just let the Boss do what he’s decided to do.”
“You have a point, Kallavan, but it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Ivan responded.
Filled with anger and sorrow, Kallavan got up and released the spell on his end, leaving the meeting.
“...do what you please.”
“O-Oi! Kallavan!” Daisuke called after him.
“This guy...” Ringo shook his head.
“It’s alright. Give him some space,” Ivan instructed.
As they were about to end their meeting, Ringo added a last-minute suggestion:
“Ryujin-sama, let’s all gather at the base with you tonight.”
“...let’s all be at the Boss’s side, in his final moments.”
“Agreed,” they all answered.
With that, they adjured the day’s meeting and released the spell. On the outside of the lounge, however, sat Gyuwhan on the floor. He’d heard the entire conversation.
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FAMILY GROUNDS
YAMAGUCHI MANSION, 7:00PM
On the same day, Lord Tenchi was conducting a meeting with the High-Ranking Hunters, to discuss the happenings of yesterday. Fudo, Emir, Katashi, Hayami, Steffan, Chojo, and Miwa were all present.
“So, everyone’s here then? Alright, let’s begin,” Tenchi started off.
“Regarding the interrogation of One-Eye Ronin...before succumbing to his injuries, I was able to gather some...terrifying information.”
“For starters, our hypothesis on the revival of the 9 Dragons is about...I would say, 90% true. There were many instances in Ronin’s memories where he heard ’revival, revival, revival’, though the entity to be revived was never specified. The means of revival went unaddressed as well.”
Throughout his time being an elite Dragon, Ronin had been given numerous hints from Shigaraki in regard to the 9 Dragons’ revival, though he never received specific details. Even among the current 9, Ivan had withheld from them some crucial facts concerning the Dragons’ revival, which were sensitive enough to possibly deter the Gang leaders from fulfilling their roles in the first place. He kept this information hidden away within Hellam Ryujin's Scrolls.
“Secondly...I’m 50% sure Hellam Ryūjin had a son.”
Hearing this, the Hunters’ eyes all widened.
“I guess that’s what they were trying to hide,” Chojo responded.
“Whoever he is...he can’t be left alive,” Steffan menacingly declared.
“I’m with you on that, Steffan. But the problem is finding out how he looks, and where he is. More than likely, he’s a guy that can’t be found unless he wants to be found. He’s way too careful,” Tenchi responded.
“Then, let’s just carry out some more interrogations-”
“No use, Fudo,” Tenchi asserted. “It was Danjo’s power that helped in breaking that spell, and now he’s gone. And, of course, there’s no other Dragon we’ve captured who possesses the skillset that Danjo-san had.”
“As for my third point...well, this is more of a guess...but, they could be amassing an army.”
“...you mean those religious followers?” Hayami asked.
“Yes. Furthermore, it’s possible that not even the street preachers themselves are aware of the hidden agenda.”
As the Hunters sat in a state of complete helplessness, with no leads or any ideas on what actions to take…it felt as if they were awaiting an inevitable apocalypse.
“...can we really not do anything here??” Fudo stressfully asked everyone.
*sigh*
“Our predecessors were too careless...we don’t even have a clue about what we’re up against, should we decide to carry out a full-on extermination of the Dragon-Tails...but now, if we kill even one of these guys, we’ll start a war. Worst case scenario, those 9 Elders would be revived. They've had way too much time to plot in secret,” Tenchi expressed.
“Even though we won that Dragon War...the 5 Ancient Clans were slaughtered in the process. Five whole clans. It’s one thing that our forces are now much smaller, but our Two Warriors had some special power that led them to victory. That power still doesn’t exist among any of the Clan members, not even us Heads or previous ones.”
Tenchi looked up at the ceiling as he hoped for a miracle.
“It’s a sad reality, but it’s safe to say until that power gives birth again, we’re sitting ducks.”
“So, it boils down to what you first told us, huh,” Emir remarked.
“Yes, brother. We just have to prepare for the worst.”
“But that’s also why I entrusted those trainees to you all. In a few years...those kids, they’ll be our saviors. Not me, not Gado-san, but all 16 of them, as well as yourselves.”
“I believe in all of you.”
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PRESENT
Still atop the skyscraper, Gyuwhan and Daisuke looked on at the sunset, as Gyuwhan continued to recall that day.
“Hey…how old was he anyway?” the boy asked.
“Truth be told…even I couldn’t tell you, Gyuwhan-sama.”
“…I still remember…when I felt that energy flowing in…” Gyuwhan reflected.
Looking down at Gyuwhan in silence for a while, Daisuke asked him,
“Your words back then…have they changed in any way?”
Looking back up at Daisuke, a heavy wind blew, and Gyuwhan started laughing.
“Haha...nope. Not one bit.”
As Gyuwhan recalled the words he said on that night…
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ABANDONED WAREHOUSE
UNDERGROUND CHAMBER, 9:00PM
“You’re all here...thank goodness.”
Inside a chamber were gathered the Gang Leaders and the Religious Sect Leaders, surrounding Ivan Ryujin who laid in his bed, his body extremely frail and his bones piercing his skin. They had gathered as planned, to be with him in his last moments. Gyuwhan was in the room as well.
“This is the first time you’ve all seen me like this, isn’t it? What a sorry state I’m in...” Ivan said with a chuckle.
“Ryujin-sama...” said Daisuke, with a sad look.
“Hey, does it really -”
“Don’t bother, Kallavan...” Ringo instructed.
“...the boss has his mind made up.”
Ivan then began to address them all,
“It...honestly pains me to have to leave you all. It’s not death that I fear, but rather the thought of the achievements that have been made simply going to waste. The thought of dying while accomplishing nothing...but, I’ve put my full faith in all of you...Shigaraki, Ringo, Kallavan, Arata, Kentaro, Mamoru, Daisuke, Mujin...and Gyuwhan, my son -”
By the time he had called Gyuwhan’s name, he was already leaving the room.
“Oi, where are you going?” Ringo asked him.
“Hurry it up and die already,” the boy responded.
They all stood speechless as he walked out of the room. Kallavan however, was infuriated by him.
“...what did that brat just sa-”
“Kallavan.”
Without much words, Mujin reminded Kallavan that the boy was hurting much more than any of them.
“...leave him be.”
Looking over to his right-hand men, Ivan instructed them saying,
“Daisuke, Mujin...I leave that kid in your care. I know he’ll be in good hands.”
“Yes Sir,” they responded, bowing themselves.
“Now then...”
Raising his hands, Ivan then performed hand signs while chanting a spell. This went on for about 30 seconds, until he finally declared:
DRAGON-BINDING SEAL · 竜縛りの契約 (Ryu Shiba-ri no Kei-yaku)
The Binding spell was successfully rewritten. In that moment, all Dragons everywhere around the city felt a small change in their bodies, almost unnoticeable. A stronger spell was now put in place, absolutely preventing the possibility of it being broken ever again.
As for Ivan…his time was now up. As his remaining Dragon energy departed his body, he imparted one final instruction to the Leaders:
“Never forget our goal…I put my trust in every single one of you...make me proud.”
Letting out one final breath…his soul left him.
Gyuwhan, who was outside the room, sat on the floor in complete silence, almost dead inside. That was, until the Dragon Energy from his father, the other half of what he originally received, came flowing right into him. It was at that moment he knew his father was now dead…and tears ran down his face. He sat down, remembering all the moments he spent with Ivan.
Leaving the sorrow-filled room, Daisuke came to see Gyuwhan sitting on the floor, crying silently. He was unsure of what to say to him, until he heard the boy ask:
“Daisuke-san…the Clan Heads…”
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“…do they have sons?”
“…recently, about 8 years ago, we’ve heard from our spies that the Heads both had sons, born on the same day,” Daisuke informed.
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In the present once again, Gyuwhan’s devilish Dragon eyes glistened as he remembered his words…
“Twins from different parents, huh? Good for them...”
“...I’ll make them suffer.”