Final Fight - Western Ganryu-jima

...Yes. That's right.

Sometimes, I'm Mister Mystery, helping you find your way. Other times, I represent Casino Camelot's manager.

But my true identity is none other than Merlin, the great Mage of Flowers!

... ...

Um... I'm not quite sure how to say this, but...

Yes. I knew all along...

Eh? Reeeeeeally?

I knew as well.

Me too, of course.

I thought we were all simply pretending not to notice.

Fou fou, fou fooou!

Now I'm remembering the time I thought my drawing style had changed significantly, only to find out no one else could see any difference...

...

Well now, it seems we have at least one young lady with no cutting comment! I like your parka. It looks like a monster with its mouth gaping open!

Great, thanks. Zero out of ten. Worst compliment I ever got. Maybe just the worst compliment ever.

Now, now, no need to be bashful! You and I go way back, after all!

Don't you remember? It was my idea to surround the city with an ocean.

Go on, say it! Say you had no idea Mister Mystery was actually Merlin all along!

I have no idea what you're talking about whatsoever. Never speak again. You're an eyesore.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to deceive you guys.

But of course, that's no excuse, so I won't try to excuse what I did. Makes sense, right?

I suppose that's one way to put it. So you don't feel any guilt over this? Don't you have a heart?

Hahaha, of course not. I'm just a system who goes around solving problems.

All's well that ends well, I always say. So yes, basically...

This was all my doing!

I used my impeccable oratory skills to lower Altria Lancer's guard, added a Summer attribute to her Spirit Origin...

...then suggested that the Grand Canyon would be the perfect place for her to spend the summer.

And as I expected, she did a wonderful job with the place! Just look at how gorgeous this Las Vegas turned out!

A dream city pulsing with life and gambling where Swimsuit Swordmasters and Heroic Spirits of all stripes come together to enjoy casinos and Seven Duels of Swordbeauties!

Wh-why did you do all that, Merlin? Surely even you wouldn't go that far without some sort of reason.

Then again, I guess you've never been one to hold back whenever you decide to do something...

Indeed. No matter how much he ought to hold back, he never does...

Right! Altria, you just reminded me of something!

Why in the world did you agree to Merlin's unbelievably shady suggestion in the first place?

...You know, looking back on it now, I am not entirely sure myself. Goodness knows Merlin's antics have caused me no end of headaches...

Still, I do remember that the timing worked out well, as I did need a mecca for which to assemble the Swimsuit Swordmasters.

？！

Y-yes, he did. As I recall, he said the duels take place in western North America every year.

But that doesn't line up with what Merlin told us...

Really? Well, I can't speak to that.

When it comes to Swimsuit Swordmasters, I barely know anything myself.

But, I do know that the Swimsuit Swordmasters needed a place to gather and fight, and that it had to be here.

？！

I'm afraid that's not my place to say. Right, Ms. Miyamoto? What are you calling yourself now? Iori?

Huh?

...(Desperate smile)

Know what? I'm impressed. It takes guts to try and get through a situation like this with nothing but a smile.

...I'm getting a very bad feeling about this, but I'll worry about that later. Hand over the Holy Grail first, and then we'll talk about what exactly is going on here.

Yeah! A Holy Grail is like a drop, you can't just leave it lying around! It's a magnet for trouble!

Ha ha ha. ...I don't have it.

Huh?

You won't find the Holy Grail on me.

All I did was introduce Altria to this property, and all she did was use her Gifts to make a city on it.

The Holy Grail that spawned this minute Singularity is still buried somewhere underneath all these buildings.

I would've already collected it if I could, but it just wasn't that simple.

But I think that lady over there can speak to that more than I can. Right, Ms. Miyamoto?

...(Sigh) I was really hoping I could resolve this quietly, but I guess that ship has sailed.

No more running or hiding. Now that we've come this far, I'll tell you the truth about everything.

...Lady Iori?

...It started when a Heroic Spirita swordfighter, was off on a journey.

A journey that seemed like it had a destination, but actually had nothing of the sort.

After the swordfighter had walked for a long, long time...

...they arrived at the Grand Canyonthe center of what's now Dazzling Las Vegas.

The swordfighter was completely penniless. There was no magical energy they could use in the barren ground, no food to be found, and no people nearby they could ask for help.

They did have some uncooked rice and udon flour they kept for emergencies, but they didn't have a pot to cook them in.

But just when they were on the verge of starving to death from a lack of magical energy...

...by pure, sheer coincidence, they happened across something that could help.

A Holy Grail.

It must have been a place where the land's leylines and such happened to gather in just the right way.

Then, while looking at the Holy Grail...

...the swordfighter had a thought.

"When you think about it, what's the difference between a Holy Grail and a pot anyway?"

？！

...It turned out incredibly...INCREDIBLY good!

Since the rice the swordfighter made with the Holy Grail was the best they'd ever had in their life, and they were so, so hungry, they decided to try making udon in it next.

That's when it happened...

A new, completely unprecedented kind of anomaly.

The swordfighter's association with Buddhism acquired over years of ascetic practice reacted poorly to the Grail.

It separated itself from the swordfighter's Spirit Origin...and manifested independently as a Heavenly Demon!

The swordfighter hurriedly tried to stop it, but it was too late. The Heavenly Demon had already stolen the swordfighter's skill with the sword...

...and as a result, they...she...ended up turning into a Berserker...

It's a tragedy. At a loss for what to do next, the girl decided to forget about the Heavenly Demon and went on her way.

But it wasn't long before the guilt of letting this fiend loose on the world, which may well lead to terrible disaster, got to her...

...so she decided to talk to a shady mage she once happened to run into in a weird underground cavern...

...and asked him what she could do to clean up her mess.

That would be me, in case it wasn't clear.

She wasn't my type by any means, but she was serious enough about this to threaten me with her swords.

At any rate, I may be heartless, but I'm not an animal, so I told her:

"All right, let's seal away the area where this Heavenly Demon thing is roaming around."

"If I'm not mistaken, you've locked down an entire island with the enemy in it before, right? That's the right call for this situation too."

"Fortunately, I happen to know a king who can do something similar, so I'll see if she can't help us."

...So that is where I come in.

Right you are. I led Altria to the Grand Canyon and convinced her to build a city in the middle of it.

A second Las Vegas, identical to the first, save for it being an imitation. So with the Heavenly Demon sealed away

...They then came up with a system to select someone with the potential to defeat this Heavenly Demon.

？！

For that, I think you can blame the temperament of the swordfighter who caused all this.

This Heavenly Demon is picky about her opponents, and won't accept defeat unless it's at the hands of another Saber.

？！

Ehehe.

So as I am now a Ruler, I cannot defeat this Heavenly Demon myself.

And the one who caused this mess cannot clean it up by herself either, now that she is a Berserker.

Even if she won, the Heavenly Demon would only absorb her, becoming a demon king with the potential to wreak even more havoc.

So she needed someone who could fight in her stead.

Right. The swordfighter decided to look for a Swimsuit Swordmaster who could defeat Heavenly Demon Musashi as a Saber...

...and to do whatever she could to help them.

Umm... Lady Iori?

Based on everythin' ya told us, it, um...don't sound like there's too many swordfighters who fit that description.

In fact, it kinda sounded ta me like you were talkin' about yourself... Lady Iori?

!

What is that!? This magical energy is practically dripping with bloodlust... Master!

Wh-what's goin' on? Where'd all the pretty buildings go!?

The magical energy textures covering the city just went flying! This must be this land's originalNo, that's not it!

The Heavenly Demon is changing this land into what it looked like before the Summer Lion King made it into Dazzling Las Vegas!

Master, get back!

I will!

？！

Oh, this is SO yabad!!!

...Impressive. This aura would drive any ordinary person to madness on the spot.

Don't worry, Master. We'll be your shield.

Oh, this is going to be a hassle... It's not just magical energy. I don't sense any limit to her animosity either.

...What the hell is that?

(This is just like when I first saw the Summer Lion King... No, it's even stronger...!)

(Iori said this swordfighter lady was lookin' ta raise a Saber Swimsuit Swordmaster who could defeat this Heavenly Demon thing, right?)

(And she had ta be talkin' about me, right?)

(I never sensed such a vengeful spirit bearing so much hatred as this Heavenly Demon thing before... Am I really supposed ta fight it, let alone win?)

(H-How can I possibly...?)

There she is!

Aah!

(She's here! She's here, she's here, she's here!)

(That dark figure...! She's about as big as any other woman, but I can sense the danger radiatin' off her!)

(She's leagues beyond even the strongest Swimsuit Swordmaster!)

(The grace of a swimsuit don't really matter here. She's a real swordmastera man-slayer who'll cut ya down if ya so much as get near her!)

Ulp...

I... I... What'm I s'posed ta do now?

It took us a long time to get here, but we finally found the genuine article. This is sure to be the final battle.

!!!

(How's he movin' towards her!? He's gotta be feelin' this intense aura just as much as me!)

(How're ya able ta do that, Lord Siegried!?)

It's all right, Hokusai. That woman there is far beyond the bounds of a Swimsuit Swordmaster.

If you are unable or unwilling to draw your swords against her, I will be glad to fight in your stead.

You... You'd really...

(Ah. Now I get it.)

(I was never a true swordmaster. At best, I just wanted to be one real bad.)

(But you... You're the real deal.)

(Lord Siegfried, the Dragon Slayer of the West! You're not just a swordmaster, but a hero!)

(Compared ta you, I've just been runnin' around talkin' tough about bein' a swordfighter painter and a fairy.)

(But as soon as I come up against the real thing, I get so scared my knees won't stop knockin'... I'm so pathetic...)

(Ugh! I'm so pathetic I can't stand it!)

Hokusai. Master. Everyone.

...Lady Iori...

Before we get started, I just wanted to apologize. I'm so sorry. This whole thing was all my fault.

I chose to go by my apprentice's name because at best, I'm about half the woman I once was.

I'm sorry for deceiving you all up till now. The truth is, I'm not Miyamoto Iori. I'm Shinmen Musashi Harunobu...

Miyamoto Musashi.

？！

And you were right. Only this time, I'm a rootin', tootin', gunslingin', swordmaster Berserker!

Miyamoto...Musashi?

THE Miyamoto Musashi of the Niten Ichiryu!?

I-I can't believe it... Things're movin' so fast I can't keep up anymore.

So this means...I've been fightin' alongside THE Miyamoto Musashi all this time...

Dammit. If only I hadn't turned out ta be such a dang coward.

I've been fightin' and winnin' side by side with the legendary Miyamoto Musashi countless times by now...

But that Heavenly Demon...

They got me so scared I can barely think straight!

I... I can't stand how pathetic I am!

？！

It's okay, Master! Laugh at me! I'm just an immature little brat with a big mouth!

That demon got ahold of Miyamoto Musashi's power of the Buddha, right? This is all too much for me!

I... I...!

No, Hokusai. You've got it all wrong.

I could never have made it back here if it hadn't been for you.

The things you say... How you smile... The way you look up at the sky determined to take on the world...

Those are all things I had when I was younger... Things that I'd nearly forgotten about!

You're the embodiment of infinite possibilities. You're the passion I dreamed of when I was young!

It's only because you challenged and witnessed the seven different embodiments of beauty.

...that I'm able to stand here now and face myself once again!

Specifically, I can't defeat my demon self on my own, so I need a Saber to help me!

？！

...You mean...

...you...THE Miyamoto Musashi...wanna fight alongside me...?

!!!

What do you say, Hokusai? I'm happy to help you any way I can.

Then yeah, you bet! If the legendary Miyamoto Musashi is invitin' me ta join her, you better believe I wanna be as badass as I can right ta the end!

If I didn't, I could never look myself in the eye again!

Ain't that right, Toto-sama!?

...Were I to meet my father, I would cut him down. Were I to meet a friend, I would cut them down too.

...My heart has lost any humanity it had. One cannot slay the void without giving oneself over to emptiness.

...The way of the sword is the way of oblivion, a path to Zero. All that I see must be slain without mercy.

...!

Ghh... Sh-she's right. That thing really isn't human anymore...

It's something that mastered the sword so far beyond what's humanly possible that it blew open a hole to somethin' beyond this world!

I know that fierce void... I know it too well...

Khh! I'm so damn scared it feels like my heart's gonna up and burst! But so what!?

I got the legendary Shinmen Musashi on my side! And the heroic Dragon Slayer! Not ta mention other Swimsuit Swordmasters from all walks of life!

No way I can't cut down a mere monster with an all-star lineup like that backin' me up!

I shall glare in all directions! I am the Swordbeauty Mad about Art, Katsushika Hokusai!

You want a fight, ya big Heavenly Demon!? You got it! Let's do this thing!!!

...Ridiculous. No minnow swimming upstream can hope to stand against me. That hot blood of yours will soon be no more than nourishment for my blade!

Gaah! I managed ta win, an' I still couldn't kill it!

I hate ta say it, but this is the best I got! Finish it, Lady Musashi!

You did great! I'll take it from here! Though not without a little help!

So this is why you ordered that giant tsunami from me. I take it this is where you want it delivered then?

It sure is! One swordmaster on ice, please!

Not a problem. I was saving this to drown the Lion King and her Las Vegas, but I'm fine using it on an opponent like this.

Prepare to face the serpent of judgment... Leviathan Melt Purge!

Perfect! This is exactly what it was like back then!

Mystic sword counter, incoming!

Here goes! Anti-Swordsman and Anti-Swordmaster Grand Bounded Field!

This...is my...

Ganryu-jima!!!