By Antoinette Vanessa December 13, 2023
On that day, the Tokyo metropolitan area was hit by an out-of-season record-breaking torrential downpour.
As soon as a streak of light flashed from the dark clouds that covered the sun, a roar of thunder resounded from the top of Tokyo Tower like the roar of God.
As if on cue, fists and swords clashed faster than raindrops.
「Uooooooooh!! Everyone, lend me your strength! Victor Red Phoenix Fooorm!!!!」
Along with the shout of Kurenai Retto, the fist of justice, an armor in the shape of a burning flame emerged on top of the red victory suit. The two streaks of fire that erupted from his back looked exactly the wings of a phoenix flying through the sky.
After overcoming the death of his friends, the new power that Victor Red had acquired seemed to overwhelm the power of Death Green…….
「I’ve always hated that about you!!!!」
Victor Red was not the only one who has gained power. Kuriyama Rintaro, the heinous mysterious Death Green, also had a black, eroded, cursed pattern on his entire body.
It was as if his own anger at the injury to his friends was swirling around his entire body.
This pattern itself was the result of patching up a shattered suit with the Victor Black suit in order to repair it. By joining the two suits together, the output performance of the new suit far exceeded that of the conventional Death Green suit.
「「Uooooooooooooooooooh!!!!」」
The impact of the opposing forces is unleashed, and the two bodies were simultaneously flung apart. The red body knocked down a building, while the green body pierced through the observation deck of the Tokyo Tower.
However, they were no longer two people who would stop at this level. The only thing that drove them was the will that they had to settle the matter with each other.
「Stop…… Stop it right now, Death Green. The sadness of losing a friend, I know it as well!」
「Sadness? No, this is anger. You think you understand and sympathize with me? If you’re satisfied with yourself as a tragic heroine, then get the hell out of here and go back to your fairy tale land.」
「Why can’t you see that hatred only creates a cycle of sadness!」
Victor Red’s reddened fist, furiously accelerated by the wings of flame, approached. Death Green stacked the swords he picked up in a crisscross pattern and received the blow so powerful that it was comparable to a ship’s cannon shot.
The two swords shattered into pieces at the same time, the sky shone like lightning with violent sparks.
At the same time, however, Death Green ducked down and swung his fist with all his might at Victor Red’s face.
「Guoooooooooh!!」
「That’s why it was so easy for you to tell me to cut off the relationship.」
Death Green kicked off the outer wall of the building, and then closed in on Victor Red, who was blown away by the recoil of the kick.
「If everyone in the world were guys like you, the world would be a “peaceful” world. A “peaceful” world where 100 people can live with 100 different kinds of sufferings and smile only on the surface that is!」
A relentless stab thrusted straight at Victor Red’s brow.
However, just as the tip of the sword was about to touch the mask, Victor Red held out the palm of his hand. Death Green’s blow pierced through the Victory Suit, which was originally impervious to all blades.
Bright red blood dripped from the pierced burning heat glove. Under the red mask, Kurenai Retto’s childlike face twitched in pain.
However, Death Green’s deadly blow was slightly shifted by Victor Red’s determination.
「What……!?」
「There must be another way to our future other than hating each other!!」
In front of the act of throwing away his own weapon which was his fist, even Deathgreen flinched for a moment. Victor Red didn’t overlook the slight opening.
「Buuurning Heat Glooves!!」
「Gunuaaaaaaaah!!!!」
The red fist of justice finally caught Death Green in the face.
A blast of crimson flame from his fist blasted his fated opponent, Death Green. The dragon-shaped green mask cracked, revealing Rintaro Kuriyama’s distorted face in pain.
The body, colored green and black, rolled like a rag on the rubble and scattered swords.
「……Ga- Ha…… this power in a single shot, it’s still a fucking cheat as usual……」
Death Green…… Rintaro barely stood up, fighting the pain all over his body. The same was true for Victor Red …… Retto, who was fully wounded.
「Haa… Haa… Do you still want to do it, Deathgreen」
「I’m sorry, but this thing called hate… it seems like it won’t leave.」
「Death Green, You…… Who exactly are you fighting……?」
His head was bleeding, but Rintaro picked up his sword again and held it ready. His eyes were stagnant, but he kept his eyes fixed on the shadow of the man ahead of him.
「Who……? Haha……」
Shadows flickered like heat haze in the justice that dwelled in the eyes of Retto. It was the former Rintaro himself, who believed in the justice given by someone and did not doubt it.
It was the shadow of a foolish man who had been so caught up in slaughtering his enemies and gaining victory that he had never once paid attention to the enemy itself.
「The thing that was taken from me, I used to take from others more than anyone else.」
The blow that pierced Kenmochi Minato’s chest was nothing less than the very justice that Rintaro had once upheld. If he ever loses any of his precious friends in the future, it will surely be in retribution.
That is why Rintaro could not let them take any more away from him. There was no way he would allow himself to put down his sword now. Above all, the past Rintaro himself would not allow it.
「I, I’ve got to get rid of myself.」
This is redemption.
If his past self and the deeds he had accumulated cling to him like a quagmire and won’t go away.
「Even if it’s covered in mud, I have to pick up my sword and at least continue to struggle in an ugly way… else, I wouldn’t be able to face them!」
Retto bit his trembling lip at Rintaro’s scream.
Retto realized. This man’s hatred was not only directed at the heroes, but also at himself.
It was not the righteousness of evil that dyed the soul of Death Green black. For the sake of peace, even peace will be killed. It’s the evil that justice raised.
If that fury, that deep sorrow, if the sharp edge of the blade is there to tear not the fiery man but Deathgreen himself apart, how can the cycle of hatred ever be broken? There is no way to break the cycle of hatred, is there?
What kind of violent fate would make him hate himself so much? Retto quietly clenches his fist, wondering if this is the only way to stop him, Death Green.
「If you yourself are trapped in a cage of hatred and torment. I still have to stop you. It is my justice to end it all here, so that you do not spread any more seeds of sorrow around you!」
「You’ve got some serious egoism in your face. You are just as selfish and heinous as I am.」
Both sides were already at their limits, and no matter what the outcome, only one of them will stand in the end.
「Come on, Death Green. I’ll give an end to your sins, and I’ll build a world of “peace” to show you You’re going to offer it at my grave along with the incense? I’m sorry, but you’re the one who’s going to the grave.」
「Are you going to offer it at my grave along with the incense? I’m sorry, but you’re the one who’s going to the grave.」
「It seems that no matter what, you and I will never understand each other.」
「We sure think the same, hero」
Contrary to his lighthearted words, Rintaro kicked up the ground with his sword wrapped in a thick bloodlust, ready in Hassō-no-kamae[1]. At the same time, Retto summoned the last of his strength and sticked out his fist to meet him with all his might.
The head-on clash between burning justice and freezing evil for their survival and beliefs, were about to come to an end.
――at precisely this moment.
Zaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!
Hundreds of thousands, millions of “swords” that climbed over the building and turned into a huge wall. It swallowed their bodies like a tsunami.
[1] Hassō-no-kamae (八相（八双）の構, “all (eight) directions”), frequently shortened simply to hassō and occasionally called hassō-gamae, is one of the five stances in kendo: jōdan, chūdan, gedan, hassō, and waki. It is an offensive stance, named for one’s ability to respond to a situation in any direction.
By Antoinette Vanessa December 13, 2023
On that day, the Tokyo metropolitan area was hit by an out-of-season record-breaking torrential downpour.
As soon as a streak of light flashed from the dark clouds that covered the sun, a roar of thunder resounded from the top of Tokyo Tower like the roar of God.
As if on cue, fists and swords clashed faster than raindrops.
「Uooooooooh!! Everyone, lend me your strength! Victor Red Phoenix Fooorm!!!!」
Along with the shout of Kurenai Retto, the fist of justice, an armor in the shape of a burning flame emerged on top of the red victory suit. The two streaks of fire that erupted from his back looked exactly the wings of a phoenix flying through the sky.
After overcoming the death of his friends, the new power that Victor Red had acquired seemed to overwhelm the power of Death Green…….
「I’ve always hated that about you!!!!」
Victor Red was not the only one who has gained power. Kuriyama Rintaro, the heinous mysterious Death Green, also had a black, eroded, cursed pattern on his entire body.
It was as if his own anger at the injury to his friends was swirling around his entire body.
This pattern itself was the result of patching up a shattered suit with the Victor Black suit in order to repair it. By joining the two suits together, the output performance of the new suit far exceeded that of the conventional Death Green suit.
「「Uooooooooooooooooooh!!!!」」
The impact of the opposing forces is unleashed, and the two bodies were simultaneously flung apart. The red body knocked down a building, while the green body pierced through the observation deck of the Tokyo Tower.
However, they were no longer two people who would stop at this level. The only thing that drove them was the will that they had to settle the matter with each other.
「Stop…… Stop it right now, Death Green. The sadness of losing a friend, I know it as well!」
「Sadness? No, this is anger. You think you understand and sympathize with me? If you’re satisfied with yourself as a tragic heroine, then get the hell out of here and go back to your fairy tale land.」
「Why can’t you see that hatred only creates a cycle of sadness!」
Victor Red’s reddened fist, furiously accelerated by the wings of flame, approached. Death Green stacked the swords he picked up in a crisscross pattern and received the blow so powerful that it was comparable to a ship’s cannon shot.
The two swords shattered into pieces at the same time, the sky shone like lightning with violent sparks.
At the same time, however, Death Green ducked down and swung his fist with all his might at Victor Red’s face.
「Guoooooooooh!!」
「That’s why it was so easy for you to tell me to cut off the relationship.」
Death Green kicked off the outer wall of the building, and then closed in on Victor Red, who was blown away by the recoil of the kick.
「If everyone in the world were guys like you, the world would be a “peaceful” world. A “peaceful” world where 100 people can live with 100 different kinds of sufferings and smile only on the surface that is!」
A relentless stab thrusted straight at Victor Red’s brow.
However, just as the tip of the sword was about to touch the mask, Victor Red held out the palm of his hand. Death Green’s blow pierced through the Victory Suit, which was originally impervious to all blades.
Bright red blood dripped from the pierced burning heat glove. Under the red mask, Kurenai Retto’s childlike face twitched in pain.
However, Death Green’s deadly blow was slightly shifted by Victor Red’s determination.
「What……!?」
「There must be another way to our future other than hating each other!!」
In front of the act of throwing away his own weapon which was his fist, even Deathgreen flinched for a moment. Victor Red didn’t overlook the slight opening.
「Buuurning Heat Glooves!!」
「Gunuaaaaaaaah!!!!」
The red fist of justice finally caught Death Green in the face.
A blast of crimson flame from his fist blasted his fated opponent, Death Green. The dragon-shaped green mask cracked, revealing Rintaro Kuriyama’s distorted face in pain.
The body, colored green and black, rolled like a rag on the rubble and scattered swords.
「……Ga- Ha…… this power in a single shot, it’s still a fucking cheat as usual……」
Death Green…… Rintaro barely stood up, fighting the pain all over his body. The same was true for Victor Red …… Retto, who was fully wounded.
「Haa… Haa… Do you still want to do it, Deathgreen」
「I’m sorry, but this thing called hate… it seems like it won’t leave.」
「Death Green, You…… Who exactly are you fighting……?」
His head was bleeding, but Rintaro picked up his sword again and held it ready. His eyes were stagnant, but he kept his eyes fixed on the shadow of the man ahead of him.
「Who……? Haha……」
Shadows flickered like heat haze in the justice that dwelled in the eyes of Retto. It was the former Rintaro himself, who believed in the justice given by someone and did not doubt it.
It was the shadow of a foolish man who had been so caught up in slaughtering his enemies and gaining victory that he had never once paid attention to the enemy itself.
「The thing that was taken from me, I used to take from others more than anyone else.」
The blow that pierced Kenmochi Minato’s chest was nothing less than the very justice that Rintaro had once upheld. If he ever loses any of his precious friends in the future, it will surely be in retribution.
That is why Rintaro could not let them take any more away from him. There was no way he would allow himself to put down his sword now. Above all, the past Rintaro himself would not allow it.
「I, I’ve got to get rid of myself.」
This is redemption.
If his past self and the deeds he had accumulated cling to him like a quagmire and won’t go away.
「Even if it’s covered in mud, I have to pick up my sword and at least continue to struggle in an ugly way… else, I wouldn’t be able to face them!」
Retto bit his trembling lip at Rintaro’s scream.
Retto realized. This man’s hatred was not only directed at the heroes, but also at himself.
It was not the righteousness of evil that dyed the soul of Death Green black. For the sake of peace, even peace will be killed. It’s the evil that justice raised.
If that fury, that deep sorrow, if the sharp edge of the blade is there to tear not the fiery man but Deathgreen himself apart, how can the cycle of hatred ever be broken? There is no way to break the cycle of hatred, is there?
What kind of violent fate would make him hate himself so much? Retto quietly clenches his fist, wondering if this is the only way to stop him, Death Green.
「If you yourself are trapped in a cage of hatred and torment. I still have to stop you. It is my justice to end it all here, so that you do not spread any more seeds of sorrow around you!」
「You’ve got some serious egoism in your face. You are just as selfish and heinous as I am.」
Both sides were already at their limits, and no matter what the outcome, only one of them will stand in the end.
「Come on, Death Green. I’ll give an end to your sins, and I’ll build a world of “peace” to show you You’re going to offer it at my grave along with the incense? I’m sorry, but you’re the one who’s going to the grave.」
「Are you going to offer it at my grave along with the incense? I’m sorry, but you’re the one who’s going to the grave.」
「It seems that no matter what, you and I will never understand each other.」
「We sure think the same, hero」
Contrary to his lighthearted words, Rintaro kicked up the ground with his sword wrapped in a thick bloodlust, ready in Hassō-no-kamae[1]. At the same time, Retto summoned the last of his strength and sticked out his fist to meet him with all his might.
The head-on clash between burning justice and freezing evil for their survival and beliefs, were about to come to an end.
――at precisely this moment.
Zaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!
Hundreds of thousands, millions of “swords” that climbed over the building and turned into a huge wall. It swallowed their bodies like a tsunami.
[1] Hassō-no-kamae (八相（八双）の構, “all (eight) directions”), frequently shortened simply to hassō and occasionally called hassō-gamae, is one of the five stances in kendo: jōdan, chūdan, gedan, hassō, and waki. It is an offensive stance, named for one’s ability to respond to a situation in any direction.
