Chapter 233 - "The Back of the Man Part 6 - The Rumbling of the Mountain" (the wind blows at night, as the Fudousawa men are walking towards the post town.) Fudousawa(clenching his fist): OKAY, JUST A LITTLE MORE AND WE'LL REACH THE VILLAGE! LET'S KICK SOME ASS! (the Yakuza howls in joy) Fudousawa: To begin with, that Higashidani bastard will -- huh? (he spots somebody standing in their way. As they approach, he sees that it's Zanza, standing near a big rock.) ------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 233 - "The Back of the Man Part 6 - The Rumbling of the Mountain" ------------------------------------------------------- Zanza: Yo! Fudousawa: What do you want, street fighter? It's already too late for an apology. Zanza: No. I have come to tell you that I've finished the fight I bought yesterday. The stubborn bastard Higashidani is lying unconscious a few miles away from here. But he was no fun. Just a punch and he passed out. (grinning) That's different from what you've told me of him. I couldn't relieve my stress. So, what are you gonna do about it? Yakuza (angry): WHAT?! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING?! Fudousawa: Wait! (he takes out his upper garment, a kind of a robe) All right, all right, looks like it's me who owe an apology. So let me be your foe then! (with his left hand, he slaps the rock, imprinting his palm deeply on the surface) Yakuza: There it is!! The best technique of the boss!! The "Demon Beating" ("Oni Daoshi")!! The ultimate sumo slapping that destroyed the face of countless sumo wrestlers!! Fudousawa (grinning): To pep out tonight, you street fighter, you'll be the first to die. Zanza (smiling): What, were you a sumo wrestler? No wonder you're that fat. (Fudousawa lunges towards Zanza.) Fudousawa: SHUT UP!! TAKE THIS, THE ULTIMATE KILLING TECHNIQUE -- -- ONI DAOSHI!!! -- (Fudousawa slaps violently, hitting fully Zanza's face) (the crowd cheers) Fudousawa: Feh. (but when Fudousawa realizes, Zanza is still there, with only a small bruise on his face. Zanza looks annoyed, whereas Fudousawa is surprised.) Zanza: What? What the heck is this? You're telling me this is a killing technique? Fudousawa (surprised): What? Zanza: "Demon Beating"? Do you think that can work? (clenching his left fist) I am a man who fought the God of Destruction himself, one who could easily annihilate puny demons like-- -- YOURS!! (he drives a punch at Fudousawa's liver.) ( Fudousawa: GAAH!!! (Fudousawa feels the blow and retreat some steps, until his back hits the boulder behind him. Quickly he hides from Zanza, using the rock as a shield. He is panting heavily.) Fudousawa (thinking): What-- who is this guy? Zanza: So, after the "Demon Beating", comes the ultimate technique "Hide and Seek", eh? (he remembers the training of the "Futae no Kiwami") Zanza: But now I remember... this technique, inherited from the God of Destruction, can reduce to nil the resistance of any object by giving two shockwaves, one after another... that means that... (Zanza clenches his right fist, and bends the fingers of his left fist. Suddenly, something happens on the rock) Fudousawa: Wha-- (the boulder explodes behind Fudousawa, knocking him down.) Fudousawa: GA... Zanza: I see... it's worse than the original technique, but still good for a cantrip, eh? I won't be able to do a hit combination of this, since I use both hands, but still it's better than nothing... Yakuza (surprised): What happened? The boulder was reduced to dust... Boss!! Zanza: Total of only three punches... still it isn't enough to relieve my stress... (he flexes his finger, inviting the Yakuza to fight him.) Yakuza: You... bastard!! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT 200 MEN?!?!?! (they lunge forward with fierceness) (the scene shifts to the Higashidani house. Uki is fast asleep, still a tear on her face.) Uki: Dad... (Outa covers Uki with a blanket and stands up. He is armoured with improvised tools, and he equips himself with a wooden stick. He dashes out from the house, searching for his father. At length, he finds his father lying unconscious on the ground. But at the same time, he hears a strange sound coming from the mountain.) Villagers: What is that? What voice is that? Owner: It comes from the mountain... Is it a rumbling of the mountain? Or is it a howling? Or is it another --- (the source of the voice is Zanza, who is crying like a madman, while knocking down everybody who faces him. A close-up on his face shows he is having plenty of fun.) (Outa squeezes Kamishimoemon gently, and he wakes up.) Kamishimoemon: ..............! (He sits and sees Outa) Kamishimoemon: Outa... what are you doing here? (Kamishimoemon notices the weapons and armory of Outa. He smiles and pats Outa's head.) Kamishimoemon: ... I see... so you've also come to fight... Although you've been protected by Uki, you're also a man, aren't you? When the time needs, you have to fight like a man, isn't that so? (standing up) --- but we have to hurry, or that idiot will be slaughtered! Let's go, Outa! (they start running towards the place Sano is having his fight.) Kamishimoemon: We have to get there in time... we've got to get there in time! (they see a man standing on the remains of a rock. They halt.) Outa and Kamishimoemon: !!! (The character for evil -- "Aku" -- clearly highlighted on his back, the man turns out to be Sano. On his feet, two hundred men are down, totally unconscious. He has some bruises, but he grins broadly, giving little heed to such wounds.) Sano: Phew! At last I'm relieved! (Outa and Kamishimoemon drop their jaws in awe and surprise.) Really, to relieve stress the best is still to wreak a BIG havoc! (Sano gives a wide grin.) (end of chapter 233) Any comments, please e-mail me. Serizawa Kamo serizawa@excite.com