In the bottom left of the evil
kingdom, where the sunlight broke through the smoky air, Goro and Que stood
facing each other. The quiet around them was sharp and tense. A few birds
circled overhead, but even the wind seemed to pause.
"You understand, right, Que?" Goro
said, his voice calm but carrying weight.
Then, without warning, Goro launched a
powerful strike that sent Que crashing into the side of a massive, old church.
Que's back slammed against the wall, shattering the stone, and he stumbled
inside. His eyes landed on the huge wooden cross that towered above the altar.
"God damn it, God," Que muttered, his
voice echoing in the empty space. "How is this fair at all? Wait… why is it so
empty? Where is everyone?"
The church was silent—no prayers, no
footsteps, no signs of life. Then, through the broken doorway, Goro appeared
again. His entire body was wreathed in flame, blazing bright and wild like a
living inferno.
"Talking too much, man," Goro said
flatly before kicking Que out of the church with explosive force.
Que landed on his feet, sliding back a
few feet across the cracked stone road. Smoke curled off his jacket.
"Man, I need to lock in. Come on,
Que—lock in," he muttered to himself, slapping his cheeks.
Goro suddenly appeared above him, fist
cocked and ready to strike.
"Didn't I tell you? You're talking too
much, man. Flame Impact!" Goro roared before crashing down toward Que like a
meteor.
But Que dodged at the last second,
jumping sideways and rolling across the ground.
"Bring it on then," Que said with a
grin before launching forward in a burst of speed.
Goro vanished instantly, reappearing
behind him, fist ready to strike. But Que anticipated it, spinning around and
grabbing Goro's arm. In one motion, he forced his palm against Goro's stomach
and exploded.
The impact rattled the ground and
shook loose debris from the nearby ruins. Goro grunted but didn't fall. He
countered with a hard punch to Que's chest, sending him skidding back a few
feet. But Que planted his feet and straightened his back, taking the hit like a
warrior.
He sprinted forward again, each step
igniting small bursts beneath his boots. Boom. Boom. Boom. With every step, the
ground cracked.
Que rocketed toward Goro. At the same
time, Goro raised his hand.
"Mouth of the Dragon!" Goro bellowed.
Both attacks collided head-on with a
massive boom. The resulting explosion destroyed more of the kingdom's already
crumbling streets. Even as smoke filled the air, their silhouettes clashed
again in midair, their fists and kicks flying as if they had equal speed and
strength.
"Oh yeah… I love this," Goro said, his
grin widening.
He opened his mouth, firing multiple
blazing fireballs like a machine gun. Que ducked and dodged between them,
shifting side to side with quick footwork, then rushed in again. Their fists
met in a small but intense hand-to-hand clash, sparks of flame and heat
bursting with each impact.
They slid back at the same time, both
breathing heavily.
Damn it, man… I only got ten minutes
left at max, Que thought. I've been fighting for an hour and a half already…
Man, I really want to end this. But
it's so fun fighting strong people, Goro thought, his heart racing with
excitement.
They charged again, trading rapid
punches and kicks. Goro tried a high roundhouse kick, but Que ducked and slid
across the ground. In one smooth move, he flipped over Goro, leaving him
momentarily confused, then delivered a brutal kick to his back.
Goro's back exploded in a fiery blast
that sent him stumbling forward through the smoke. Que stomped the ground hard,
using the blast to rocket himself upward.
Goro quickly recovered and scanned the
area. Where the hell is Que at? he thought.
Then, a shadow appeared above him,
outlined by the blazing sun. Que was falling fast, like a spear.
Boom!
He crashed down with a massive
explosion that destroyed everything in the two meter radius. Goro leapt out of
nowhere, throwing a punch, but Que reacted in time and jumped back. The heat
rippled between them.
Damn, this kid's a pain in the ass,
Que thought. I'm going to die today, no doubt about it. Let's just hope I bring
him with me.
"This is exciting," Goro laughed,
flames dancing wildly around him.
"String of Heat!" Goro shouted. Thin,
blazing-hot strings of fire shot out from his fingertips like whips.
Que dodged—barely.
Goro swung his other hand, and the
strings came at him faster, wrapping tightly around Que before he could fully
react.
"Sh*t," Que spat as the strings yanked
him violently and slammed him through the wall of a house.
Goro laughed, his body blazing like
the sun itself. Que stumbled to his feet, smoke rising from his shoulders.
"God damn, kid… can you get any
stronger!?" Que screamed.
Suddenly, something inside him
flared—an overwhelming surge of energy that made Goro's eyes widen.
What was that sudden power I just
felt? Goro thought. But something's telling me… I can do it too.
Goro closed his eyes.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing!?"
Que shouted.
Well, I need all the energy I can save
up for my two strongest attacks, Que thought. Never thought I'd use it early…
but I'm taking him to hell with me.
Then—silence.
Goro found himself in a different
place. It was dark, endless, and cold. He floated in empty space.
Then, out of the shadows, a massive flaming
dragon circled him. The heat was unbearable—but also familiar.
"Wow… a dragon in flames," Goro said,
excitement lighting up his face.
The dragon spoke, its voice deep and
cold. "How have you reached full Hell State if you're not part of the Azura
Clan or the Shizu Clan?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Goro
asked, confused.
"Meaning… you are not part of any fire
clan. So how can you master this? Even if you learn the element, you cannot
enter any form if you're not of the bloodline. Only one person I know
accomplished this—and that was Ryuu Kojima."
"Oh… Ryju's grandpa," Goro said,
smiling. "The strongest ninja, tied with that old geezer Mr. Taka."
"Oh, Taka Makando," the dragon
rumbled.
"You said only one person did this. So
Mr. Taka didn't do it?" Goro asked.
"No. Because he simply didn't want
to," the dragon replied.
"Oh, okay," Goro said casually.
"So you're a special type. I don't
know how you did this," the dragon continued, "but I am now your fire summon."
"Oh, so I can summon you whenever I
want?" Goro asked with a grin.
"Yes. But you must give me a name. Any
time you say that name, I will appear."
"Okay… let me think of a name… How
about Salazar?"
"Then Salazar it is," the dragon said.
"You can summon me whenever you want."
Back in LayBirth Kingdom, Que stood,
battered but determined. Yes… just stay there, he thought. I've got enough
spiritual force for two of my big explosion attack—especially my final attack.
"Hey Que, how was your little break?"
Goro called.
"Actually, it was perfect. You should
probably just stand there like you were," Que replied with a grin.
What was he doing? Que thought. I hope
he didn't get any more powerful.
"Well," Goro said, smiling, "I've got
something new I'd like to test on you… if you don't mind."
God damn… did he get a new power-up? I
really hope not, Que thought.
Then Goro grinned wider. "Get ready
for this, buddy. SALAZARRR!"
Who the hell is that? His friend? His
sensei? Who's he calling? Que's mind raced.
The ground began to rumble.
"What the hell is this?" Que shouted.
"Oh, you like it?" Goro laughed.
"I need you to answer me now, Goro
Okada!" Que screamed.
Out of nowhere, a massive fiery head
emerged from the ground.
Is that a damn dragon? Que thought,
eyes wide.
Goro leapt onto Salazar's back as the
dragon rose and flew into the sky.
"Well, you summoned me fast," Salazar
said, impressed.
"You bet I'm going to summon you a
lot," Goro said with a large grin.
From above, Goro looked down at Que.
"How do you like Salazar, my dragon!"
he shouted proudly.
"Damn it… I hate it now! I'd probably
like it if it was mine—but it's not!" Que yelled back angrily.
Far in the distance, on the middle
wall overlooking the battlefield, Kaji stood watching everything unfold.
"See?! That's it, Goro!" Kaji shouted.
"That's exactly what I mean when I say get stronger in battle!"
Back to the fight, Que sighed. "Now
he's got a dragon. I'm really getting tired of this. I just wanna go to sleep."
"Wow, the sun's really blazing up
here," Goro said. "Hey, Salazar—let's send an attack at him."
"Okay, if you say so," Salazar
rumbled.
"Oh yeah, this is gonna be cool to
see," Goro said, smiling.
"Enormous Fireball!" Salazar roared,
charging up a blazing sphere of fire nearly the size of the moon.
"Woah, that fireball is huge! Defend
this, Que!" Goro yelled.
Salazar launched the massive fireball
toward Que. The ground shook as it streaked through the air.
"Damn, that's huge. It's coming at me
like a meteor," Que muttered. "Looks like I'm going to have to use one of my
two most powerful attacks."
"Man, I love this!" Goro shouted,
excited.
"Man, I hate this," Que growled.
The fireball drew closer, heat
blasting against his skin.
"Alright… let's go," Que said, his
voice low and serious. He launched himself upward toward the fireball, his body
a streak of flame and smoke.
As he approached, Que extended his
arm. His hand was just centimeters away from the surface of the fireball.
"Big Bang!" Que roared.
Boom!
The explosion sent the massive
fireball back toward Goro and Salazar. Salazar swerved away just in time.
"What was that attack!?" Goro shouted.
"That was the biggest and strongest explosion he's ever done. Salazar—watch out
and be careful."
"Duh," Salazar replied before rushing
toward Que again.
"Who would've thought I'd be fighting
a fire dragon right now," Que muttered, blasting forward to meet Salazar.
Salazar lunged, jaws snapping, but Que
narrowly dodged. His hand grazed the dragon's side—boom. A blast erupted on
Salazar's scales.
"Ow! That hurt, you stupid mortal!"
Salazar snarled, whipping around at high speed. Goro nearly slipped off his
back.
Gotta hold on tight, Goro thought,
gripping the dragon.
Salazar swung his tail toward Que.
Can't dodge—it's too fast, Que
thought.
But Que caught the tail and held on
tight. Salazar tried to shake him off, swinging violently. Que responded by exploding
Salazar's tail with each grip.
"Damn you! Get off me!" Salazar
shouted before finally flinging Que downward at incredible speed. He crashed
into the ruins of a destroyed house, rubble flying everywhere.
"Wow, what is his problem with
exploding stuff?" Salazar muttered.
"I said the same thing," Goro laughed.
But before he could relax, Que blasted
upward again, faster than before. Goro vanished in a flash, grabbed Que by the
neck midair, and slammed him back down to the ground.
"Hey, Salazar—you can go now. I'll
handle this on my own," Goro said, landing lightly. Salazar faded away in a
blaze of fire.
Goro touched down. Que was already
standing, battered but still on his feet.
"Goro Okada," Que said, breathing
hard. "You were truly the heat."
"Oh… Goro the Heat. Sounds good," Goro
said with a grin.
"But it's time for you and me to go to
the afterlife," Que said.
"Huh? What do you mean? I'm not going
to the afterlife until I reach my goal," Goro said firmly.
Then Que vanished. In a blink, he
appeared beside Goro and grabbed his arm tightly.
"What the hell are you doing?" Goro
demanded.
"You were truly a strong opponent,"
Que said softly. "But now… for my final and strongest attack—Self Destruct!"
"What the hell are you doing!?" Goro
screamed.
"You're going to hell with me, Goro
Okada!" Que shouted.
Boom!
Everything turned white. The explosion
consumed everything in a five-meter radius, turning it all to ash.
From the middle wall, Kaji stared in
shock. "Goro…" he whispered, eyes wide.
The aftermath was silent. Buildings
and debris within five meters had vanished, scorched away by the blast.
As the smoke slowly cleared, a dark
shadow lay on the ground. It was Goro—no flames now, just his normal form. His
right arm and leg were gone, ripped away by the explosion. But he was alive. He
sat up slowly and looked up at the blazing sun.
"He's alive!" Kaji shouted, relief
flooding his voice.
To Be Continued
In the bottom left of the evil
kingdom, where the sunlight broke through the smoky air, Goro and Que stood
facing each other. The quiet around them was sharp and tense. A few birds
circled overhead, but even the wind seemed to pause.
"You understand, right, Que?" Goro
said, his voice calm but carrying weight.
Then, without warning, Goro launched a
powerful strike that sent Que crashing into the side of a massive, old church.
Que's back slammed against the wall, shattering the stone, and he stumbled
inside. His eyes landed on the huge wooden cross that towered above the altar.
"God damn it, God," Que muttered, his
voice echoing in the empty space. "How is this fair at all? Wait… why is it so
empty? Where is everyone?"
The church was silent—no prayers, no
footsteps, no signs of life. Then, through the broken doorway, Goro appeared
again. His entire body was wreathed in flame, blazing bright and wild like a
living inferno.
"Talking too much, man," Goro said
flatly before kicking Que out of the church with explosive force.
Que landed on his feet, sliding back a
few feet across the cracked stone road. Smoke curled off his jacket.
"Man, I need to lock in. Come on,
Que—lock in," he muttered to himself, slapping his cheeks.
Goro suddenly appeared above him, fist
cocked and ready to strike.
"Didn't I tell you? You're talking too
much, man. Flame Impact!" Goro roared before crashing down toward Que like a
meteor.
But Que dodged at the last second,
jumping sideways and rolling across the ground.
"Bring it on then," Que said with a
grin before launching forward in a burst of speed.
Goro vanished instantly, reappearing
behind him, fist ready to strike. But Que anticipated it, spinning around and
grabbing Goro's arm. In one motion, he forced his palm against Goro's stomach
and exploded.
The impact rattled the ground and
shook loose debris from the nearby ruins. Goro grunted but didn't fall. He
countered with a hard punch to Que's chest, sending him skidding back a few
feet. But Que planted his feet and straightened his back, taking the hit like a
warrior.
He sprinted forward again, each step
igniting small bursts beneath his boots. Boom. Boom. Boom. With every step, the
ground cracked.
Que rocketed toward Goro. At the same
time, Goro raised his hand.
"Mouth of the Dragon!" Goro bellowed.
Both attacks collided head-on with a
massive boom. The resulting explosion destroyed more of the kingdom's already
crumbling streets. Even as smoke filled the air, their silhouettes clashed
again in midair, their fists and kicks flying as if they had equal speed and
strength.
"Oh yeah… I love this," Goro said, his
grin widening.
He opened his mouth, firing multiple
blazing fireballs like a machine gun. Que ducked and dodged between them,
shifting side to side with quick footwork, then rushed in again. Their fists
met in a small but intense hand-to-hand clash, sparks of flame and heat
bursting with each impact.
They slid back at the same time, both
breathing heavily.
Damn it, man… I only got ten minutes
left at max, Que thought. I've been fighting for an hour and a half already…
Man, I really want to end this. But
it's so fun fighting strong people, Goro thought, his heart racing with
excitement.
They charged again, trading rapid
punches and kicks. Goro tried a high roundhouse kick, but Que ducked and slid
across the ground. In one smooth move, he flipped over Goro, leaving him
momentarily confused, then delivered a brutal kick to his back.
Goro's back exploded in a fiery blast
that sent him stumbling forward through the smoke. Que stomped the ground hard,
using the blast to rocket himself upward.
Goro quickly recovered and scanned the
area. Where the hell is Que at? he thought.
Then, a shadow appeared above him,
outlined by the blazing sun. Que was falling fast, like a spear.
Boom!
He crashed down with a massive
explosion that destroyed everything in the two meter radius. Goro leapt out of
nowhere, throwing a punch, but Que reacted in time and jumped back. The heat
rippled between them.
Damn, this kid's a pain in the ass,
Que thought. I'm going to die today, no doubt about it. Let's just hope I bring
him with me.
"This is exciting," Goro laughed,
flames dancing wildly around him.
"String of Heat!" Goro shouted. Thin,
blazing-hot strings of fire shot out from his fingertips like whips.
Que dodged—barely.
Goro swung his other hand, and the
strings came at him faster, wrapping tightly around Que before he could fully
react.
"Sh*t," Que spat as the strings yanked
him violently and slammed him through the wall of a house.
Goro laughed, his body blazing like
the sun itself. Que stumbled to his feet, smoke rising from his shoulders.
"God damn, kid… can you get any
stronger!?" Que screamed.
Suddenly, something inside him
flared—an overwhelming surge of energy that made Goro's eyes widen.
What was that sudden power I just
felt? Goro thought. But something's telling me… I can do it too.
Goro closed his eyes.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing!?"
Que shouted.
Well, I need all the energy I can save
up for my two strongest attacks, Que thought. Never thought I'd use it early…
but I'm taking him to hell with me.
Then—silence.
Goro found himself in a different
place. It was dark, endless, and cold. He floated in empty space.
Then, out of the shadows, a massive flaming
dragon circled him. The heat was unbearable—but also familiar.
"Wow… a dragon in flames," Goro said,
excitement lighting up his face.
The dragon spoke, its voice deep and
cold. "How have you reached full Hell State if you're not part of the Azura
Clan or the Shizu Clan?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Goro
asked, confused.
"Meaning… you are not part of any fire
clan. So how can you master this? Even if you learn the element, you cannot
enter any form if you're not of the bloodline. Only one person I know
accomplished this—and that was Ryuu Kojima."
"Oh… Ryju's grandpa," Goro said,
smiling. "The strongest ninja, tied with that old geezer Mr. Taka."
"Oh, Taka Makando," the dragon
rumbled.
"You said only one person did this. So
Mr. Taka didn't do it?" Goro asked.
"No. Because he simply didn't want
to," the dragon replied.
"Oh, okay," Goro said casually.
"So you're a special type. I don't
know how you did this," the dragon continued, "but I am now your fire summon."
"Oh, so I can summon you whenever I
want?" Goro asked with a grin.
"Yes. But you must give me a name. Any
time you say that name, I will appear."
"Okay… let me think of a name… How
about Salazar?"
"Then Salazar it is," the dragon said.
"You can summon me whenever you want."
Back in LayBirth Kingdom, Que stood,
battered but determined. Yes… just stay there, he thought. I've got enough
spiritual force for two of my big explosion attack—especially my final attack.
"Hey Que, how was your little break?"
Goro called.
"Actually, it was perfect. You should
probably just stand there like you were," Que replied with a grin.
What was he doing? Que thought. I hope
he didn't get any more powerful.
"Well," Goro said, smiling, "I've got
something new I'd like to test on you… if you don't mind."
God damn… did he get a new power-up? I
really hope not, Que thought.
Then Goro grinned wider. "Get ready
for this, buddy. SALAZARRR!"
Who the hell is that? His friend? His
sensei? Who's he calling? Que's mind raced.
The ground began to rumble.
"What the hell is this?" Que shouted.
"Oh, you like it?" Goro laughed.
"I need you to answer me now, Goro
Okada!" Que screamed.
Out of nowhere, a massive fiery head
emerged from the ground.
Is that a damn dragon? Que thought,
eyes wide.
Goro leapt onto Salazar's back as the
dragon rose and flew into the sky.
"Well, you summoned me fast," Salazar
said, impressed.
"You bet I'm going to summon you a
lot," Goro said with a large grin.
From above, Goro looked down at Que.
"How do you like Salazar, my dragon!"
he shouted proudly.
"Damn it… I hate it now! I'd probably
like it if it was mine—but it's not!" Que yelled back angrily.
Far in the distance, on the middle
wall overlooking the battlefield, Kaji stood watching everything unfold.
"See?! That's it, Goro!" Kaji shouted.
"That's exactly what I mean when I say get stronger in battle!"
Back to the fight, Que sighed. "Now
he's got a dragon. I'm really getting tired of this. I just wanna go to sleep."
"Wow, the sun's really blazing up
here," Goro said. "Hey, Salazar—let's send an attack at him."
"Okay, if you say so," Salazar
rumbled.
"Oh yeah, this is gonna be cool to
see," Goro said, smiling.
"Enormous Fireball!" Salazar roared,
charging up a blazing sphere of fire nearly the size of the moon.
"Woah, that fireball is huge! Defend
this, Que!" Goro yelled.
Salazar launched the massive fireball
toward Que. The ground shook as it streaked through the air.
"Damn, that's huge. It's coming at me
like a meteor," Que muttered. "Looks like I'm going to have to use one of my
two most powerful attacks."
"Man, I love this!" Goro shouted,
excited.
"Man, I hate this," Que growled.
The fireball drew closer, heat
blasting against his skin.
"Alright… let's go," Que said, his
voice low and serious. He launched himself upward toward the fireball, his body
a streak of flame and smoke.
As he approached, Que extended his
arm. His hand was just centimeters away from the surface of the fireball.
"Big Bang!" Que roared.
Boom!
The explosion sent the massive
fireball back toward Goro and Salazar. Salazar swerved away just in time.
"What was that attack!?" Goro shouted.
"That was the biggest and strongest explosion he's ever done. Salazar—watch out
and be careful."
"Duh," Salazar replied before rushing
toward Que again.
"Who would've thought I'd be fighting
a fire dragon right now," Que muttered, blasting forward to meet Salazar.
Salazar lunged, jaws snapping, but Que
narrowly dodged. His hand grazed the dragon's side—boom. A blast erupted on
Salazar's scales.
"Ow! That hurt, you stupid mortal!"
Salazar snarled, whipping around at high speed. Goro nearly slipped off his
back.
Gotta hold on tight, Goro thought,
gripping the dragon.
Salazar swung his tail toward Que.
Can't dodge—it's too fast, Que
thought.
But Que caught the tail and held on
tight. Salazar tried to shake him off, swinging violently. Que responded by exploding
Salazar's tail with each grip.
"Damn you! Get off me!" Salazar
shouted before finally flinging Que downward at incredible speed. He crashed
into the ruins of a destroyed house, rubble flying everywhere.
"Wow, what is his problem with
exploding stuff?" Salazar muttered.
"I said the same thing," Goro laughed.
But before he could relax, Que blasted
upward again, faster than before. Goro vanished in a flash, grabbed Que by the
neck midair, and slammed him back down to the ground.
"Hey, Salazar—you can go now. I'll
handle this on my own," Goro said, landing lightly. Salazar faded away in a
blaze of fire.
Goro touched down. Que was already
standing, battered but still on his feet.
"Goro Okada," Que said, breathing
hard. "You were truly the heat."
"Oh… Goro the Heat. Sounds good," Goro
said with a grin.
"But it's time for you and me to go to
the afterlife," Que said.
"Huh? What do you mean? I'm not going
to the afterlife until I reach my goal," Goro said firmly.
Then Que vanished. In a blink, he
appeared beside Goro and grabbed his arm tightly.
"What the hell are you doing?" Goro
demanded.
"You were truly a strong opponent,"
Que said softly. "But now… for my final and strongest attack—Self Destruct!"
"What the hell are you doing!?" Goro
screamed.
"You're going to hell with me, Goro
Okada!" Que shouted.
Boom!
Everything turned white. The explosion
consumed everything in a five-meter radius, turning it all to ash.
From the middle wall, Kaji stared in
shock. "Goro…" he whispered, eyes wide.
The aftermath was silent. Buildings
and debris within five meters had vanished, scorched away by the blast.
As the smoke slowly cleared, a dark
shadow lay on the ground. It was Goro—no flames now, just his normal form. His
right arm and leg were gone, ripped away by the explosion. But he was alive. He
sat up slowly and looked up at the blazing sun.
"He's alive!" Kaji shouted, relief
flooding his voice.
To Be Continued