Death Battle: Guts vs Raiden

Bringer of Darkness: Alright, the hounds are released and are ready to let it rip! Let’s settle this debate once and for all!

TheMHFan: It’s time for a DEATH BATTLE!

****
Random-ass Mountain Village

The light nighttime mountain breeze fluttered over the village on the mountain. Stars dotted the cloudless night sky, and the full moon shone over the mountain like a beacon. And it was all calm. Not a soul stirred, not even a single cricket.

Partly because the village was devoid of life. It had been leveled earlier by an unknown force, and not a soul remained alive.

Except for one.

A figure emerged from one of the ruined houses, his entire body obscured in a dark cloak. A sword’s hilt stuck out of his back, and his one eye glinted in the night.

Guts, the Black Swordsman, had brought himself to this godforsaken village, in search of a behelit. While its properties were unknown, Guts had sought out this artifact for reasons that were his and his alone.

And now, he’d gotten his hands on it. He’d found it in the pocket of some dead old man, who had died due to reasons unknown to even the Hundred-Man Slayer. Pocketing the artifact, Guts slowly walked away from the house, his job done. Now his hunt for Griffith would continue…

***

Around the same time, 200 meters from the mountain village

The rickety carriage rocked as it traveled up the mountain path. It carried a singular passenger, who was headed for the mountains himself. His body was swathed in a gray cloak, the only part of him visible being his eye and white hair.

Now, he had been sent to this mountain village to retrieve a “behelit” of sorts. Of course, the exact details as to why he had to go and get it were not disclosed, but he was told that it was rather important. Fate of the world, he was told.

INCOMING CODEC CALL

Hearing a high-pitched ringing noise in his ears, the figure tapped into his head, on an area near the temple. Just then, a bluish screen appeared before his eye, and within it was a mustached man with short, black hair.

“Control, this is Raiden,” the figure in the carriage said. “I’m getting close. Though it is getting kinda eerie…”

The man in the monitor, Boris Popov, responded with a deep, Russian-accented voice, “That should be expected. For reasons we can’t explain, the village is abandoned.”

“Yeah, the path leading up to it’s pretty beaten, as well…” responded Raiden. “Wonder what could have caused it?”

“Perhaps whoever caused it is after the artifact we’re looking for, as well,” replied Boris. “Seems as if the entire world is after it.”

“About that,” asked Raiden, “what’s with the government’s sudden interest over that artifact? Why send me to retrieve it?”

Boris sighed. “I wish I knew, Raiden. Far as I know, we were told it would decide the fate of the world, regardless whose hands it falls into.”

“So we have to get our hands on it before anyone else does—and it might fall into the wrong ones?” asked Raiden.

“There is a high chance of that happening, Raiden,” replied Boris. “Though we won’t know what it does, it’s better that we get our hands on it before anyone evil does.”

“Fair enough,” said Raiden. “Although, how would the top brass know that the artifact was here?”

“It’s where it was last seen,” responded Boris. “In case you don’t find it there, I’m already looking for other leads. Stay vigilant.”

Suddenly, the carriage halted and rocked. Raiden, curious, stepped outside, all while keeping the Codec on. He saw that the horse pulling on the carriage had stopped moving, frozen in fear. Curious, Raiden looked at the general direction of the horse’s gaze…and saw that the path ahead was riddled with dead bodies, all killed in multiple gruesome ways.

“I think I may have a clue as to where the artifact is,” Raiden said immediately. “I’m headed towards the village now. Over and out.”
“Good luck, Raiden,” Boris said, and then the screen blinked out of existence.

Gulping, Raiden then slowly walked down the path, skipping over the dead bodies as he did so.

****

Guts continually examined the behelit in his hand. Was this truly the thing he was looking for? Either way, he was relieved he’d gotten his hands on it before anyone else could. Smirking to himself, the Black Swordsman prepared to exit the abandoned village…

Something caught his eye.

It was a figure, wrapped in a grayish cloak, trudging towards the village. Guts could clearly make out the figure’s white hair and singular eye, the only parts of his body that weren’t obscured by that cloak.

Raising an eyebrow, the Black Swordsman approached as well, pocketing the behelit as he did…but this didn’t go unnoticed by the approaching figure. The figure had, at a split-second, recognized the thing Guts was holding.

“That thing you’re holding,” said the gray-cloaked figure as he approached, “mind if I gave it a look?”

Guts, on his part, only sighed. With so many people after the behelit, he wasn’t going to trust anyone. He simply said, “None of your business.”

“You do know that with that artifact, you’re potentially holding the fate of the world in your hands, right?” questioned the figure.

“I am well aware of that, yes,” replied Guts, dryly.

“Hand it over,” ordered the man. “Nice and slow.”

His brow rising, Guts slowly made to grip the hilt on his back. Now he was sure of this man’s intentions. He wouldn’t have anyone else coming after the artifact. “I’ll say it again: this behelit is none of your business. Now get the hell out of the way.”

“Sorry, but the world depends on it,” replied the man. As he did so, he gripped onto his cloak, and then tossed it aside…and seeing the man in front of him, Guts couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit of surprise.

The man was coated in a sheet of metal, his hands and feet terminating in claws. His lower jawbone was replaced with a metal one, and a metal band ran over his left eye. He then unsheathed a katana of sorts, electric currents running down its blade, and pointed it like an accusing finger at Guts.

“It seems there isn’t going to be much reasoning with you,” declared the man, Raiden. “That artifact’s coming with me, one way or another.”

However, if Guts was in any bit intimidated, he wouldn’t let it show. He gripped onto the hilt on his back…and then ripped it out, his cloak flying away and revealing a man dressed in medieval armor of sorts. In the Black Swordsman’s hand was a massive sword. This blade was called the Dragonslayer, and it had slain countless demons that dared cross Guts’s path. And the swordsman believed, with 100% surety, that this new foe would soon join the ranks of the dead.

“I told you to stay out of my way,” snarled Guts.


Raiden, on his part, simply entered his battle stance, a black visor sliding into place and covering his face. Guts, on his part, bent into his own combat stance, gripping the hilt of Dragonslayer with two hands.

Here, today, two swordsmen with one eye and a dangerous reputation would clash.

And only one would leave this place alive, no matter how battered, bloodied, and bruised he would be.

FIGHT!

In what seemed to be a flash to the naked human eye, Raiden was gone from the spot. Guts remained rooted to the spot, his one eye darting right and left for any signs of his steel-clad opponent…

CLANG!

Acting on pure instinct, Guts raised the Dragonslayer with speed betraying the blade’s size, parrying a blow from Raiden’s HF katana. Surprised at his opponent’s speed—despite the size of his blade—Raiden pulled his blade back just as Guts pulled back his.

CLING! CLING! CLANG!

The two swordsmen began to duel, their blows too fast for the trained eye to see. On Guts’s part, there were no fancy twirls, or flashy feints, or any sort of complex technique. What he had was pure brute force, as with each of his blows, he hammered away at Raiden. The cyborg defended against the blows, though he could feel the weight of each strike. Every block forced his feet deeper into the soil. Guts raised his blade…

CLANG!

The sheer weight of the strike nearly forced the HF katana out of Raiden’s hands, and the blow actually sent Raiden staggering. Of course, with unparalleled speed, the cyborg swordsman seamlessly retaliated, his very speed forcing Guts to take a few steps back whilst twirling his sword and blocking Raiden’s attacks.

There was strength behind Raiden’s own blows as well. This was strength that could tear a colossal Metal Gear to shreds, strength that could overwhelm the nigh-indestructible Senator Armstrong.

If Guts was a lion, his blows heavy and strong, then Raiden was a viper, his blows strong and coiled and swift. The duel progressed for about twenty seconds, both warriors displaying unparalleled strength and speed, their blades appearing as blurs of black and blue to the naked human eye. However, thanks to his superior speed, Raiden was steadily gaining an advantage over the Hundred-Man Slayer…

Luckily for Guts, he wasn’t going to leave this fight to his own strength alone. As the two clashed and locked blades, Guts smirked…and immediately kicked on the side of Raiden’s leg! Of course, the fact that the leg was made out of metal prevented Raiden from falling over; regardless, this sudden move by Guts caused the cyborg to nearly fall over. Seizing this chance, Guts raised the Dragonslayer, his overhead strike poised to cleave the cyborg swordsman in two…

Snarling, the still-faster Raiden regained his balance, lunging at Guts in a seamless display of acrobatics and ramming an electrically-charge fist at Guts’s stomach! The Black Swordsman staggered from the blow, backing up against the wall of a ruined house as Raiden struck out once more, the crackling HF katana meeting the flat of the Dragonslayer.

Guts broke the brief deadlock by swinging his sword upwards, sending Raiden flying. However, the ninja cyborg regained his bearings in midair, and actually landed, feet-first, on the flat of Dragonslayer! Not one to let up, Raiden kicked off of the blade, letting Guts taste his metal foot!

The Hundred-Man Slayer staggered backwards, blood flying out of his mouth as Dragonslayer nearly flew out of his grip. Seamlessly, Raiden followed up with a punch that struck Guts directly in the forehead! Falling back against the wall of the house, the Black Swordsman only had time to roll away as Raiden swung the HF Katana to the side, aiming to decapitate Guts and be done with it.

Before rising up to his feet, Guts aimed his prosthetic arm at Raiden, firing off a wave of arrows at the swordsman. At this…Raiden smirked. If he literally had the capability to deflect a stream of machine gun fire, then arrows wouldn’t be too much of an issue for him.

And he was right. With each swing of the high-frequency blade, the arrows were reduced to mere splinters as Raiden dashed towards Guts.

Immediately dismissing his assault as a terrible idea—well, it was really terrible, considering Raiden was literally made out of metal—Guts rolled out of the way as Raiden swung down with his sword, the katana cutting clean through a barrel.

Drawing his sword once more, Guts charged at Raiden, and then the two dueled once more, constantly changing positions as they did. As it currently stood, Raiden held superior strength and speed, whilst Guts only had strength. In fact, a few of Raiden’s strikes had gotten through, cutting minor gashes at Guts.

The Black Swordsman, snarling, pressed his assault, but as the duel progressed, neither seemed to have been gaining a true advantage over the other.

That was, until Guts swung his blade to the side and struck Raiden in the head with the flat side of the Dragonslayer, sending him flying!

Raiden regained his balance as soon as he landed. It was then that Raiden decided it was high time for a change of tactics.

“Okay,” he huffed, “time for something new…”

Seeing Guts charging at him, Dragonslayer raised high overhead, Raiden charged, loaded up a right hook and let it fly, striking the Hundred-Man Slayer directly in the face and causing him to stagger! With this brief distraction, Raiden sheathed his HF katana, and, out of hammerspace, pulled out a long, quarterstaff-like weapon that looked as if it was made out of multiple interlinked robot limbs.

Twirling L’Etranger in a needlessly flashy fashion, Raiden then renewed his assault, striking at Guts like a jousting lancer. Unlike before, this attack had successfully nailed Guts in his right hip, drawing blood! Guts staggered back, seething in pain, and with a growl, he pulled back Dragonslayer and swung.

Raiden hastily gripped the staff in his hands and blocked the blow with the shaft. Twirling the quarterstaff in vicious angles, Raiden dueled with Guts, this time scoring a few hits.

After ten seconds of clashing, Guts decided that he had had enough. Leaping back, he aimed his prosthetic arm at Raiden and fired off a volley of arrows. Of course, with unparalleled precision, Raiden parried them all…

…but a long-range assault wasn’t what Guts was planning.

Quickly seizing this chance, Guts charged forward and raised Dragonslayer high overhead. Raiden, of course, raised his staff to defend…

…but his eyes widened as the massive blade of Dragonslayer snapped L’Etranger in two! The blade itself had struck Raiden, and while the gash wasn’t too deep, it was enough to send the former child soldier flying back, towards an abandoned water tower! Guts readied Dragonslayer, intent on finishing his opponent off…

…and then something lodged into his shoulder, earning a gasp in surprise and pain from the Black Swordsman.

He looked down and saw a three-pronged sai lodged into his shoulder…and then looked back up to see Raiden flying at him.

Guts had zero time to react as Raiden nailed him with a kick to the jaw! Not letting up, Raiden slashed at Guts with his HF blade once, twice, thrice. The cyborg ninja ended his combo by flipping over in midair and landing a solid dropkick at Guts’s, well…gut, forcing the wind out of the mercenary as they both landed.

Guts snapped his head to the side to barely avoid the HF katana plunging at his forehead, retaliating by shooting his head upwards and striking Raiden at his forehead. Without pause, Guts then proceeded to slug Raiden in the face, ignoring any and all pain from the wounds the cyborg had inflicted but not shattering his visor.

Raiden recovered,  drawing the HF katana once more. Paying his own wounds no attention, Guts hefted up Dragonslayer, and raised his blade. As soon as Raiden swung his blade in a horizontal arc, Guts brought the sword down.

CLANG!

Raiden felt the very force of the blow to the bone, his free hand immediately flying to the hilt of his sword. It was another deadlock, another test of might…

…until Guts had formed another plan in his head.

He freed his prosthetic arm from the hilt of the Dragonslayer. This sudden move puzzled Raiden, but allowed the ninja cyborg to push back and slowly gain an advantage. Realizing that he only had a few seconds to enact his plan, Guts dug into his pockets, fished out a group of something, and immediately smashed them at the ground near Raiden’s feet.

Perplexed and annoyed, Raiden kicked at Guts, forcing the deadlock to break apart. With a burst of electricity rising from his feet, he prepared to charge—!

BOOM!

The ensuing explosion sent Raiden flying to the wall of what appeared to be a schoolhouse. While the blast wasn’t enough to deal serious damage and do him in, Raiden still felt a small amount of pain flare throughout his body.

It was then that he wondered—had the cheap bastard planted bombs on the ground?!

The cyborg swordsman was promptly brought back into reality as Guts came swinging, Raiden barely able to roll to the side. The Dragonslayer instead met the wall of the schoolhouse, effectively parting it in two.

Seizing this opening, Raiden rushed at Guts, sending him flying into the air with an uppercut. Without pause, he bounded after the airborne swordsman, and, his feet coated in electricity, kicked at Guts at a rapid pace. The cyborg swordsman concluded his combo by dropkicking Guts and sending him crashing to the ground before a rather large house.

Raiden then leapt off of Guts, HF katana pointed downwards and poised to skewer the Black Swordsman like a pig on a spit. Guts, his eye widening, barely rolled out of the way, and then proceeded to hurl mini-bomb after mini-bomb at the cyborg swordsman. They missed, but immediately latched onto the ground.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

With a series of acrobatic flips and jumps, Raiden evaded the explosions, which were now demolishing the abandoned buildings. Still, Guts fished out three more mini-bombs and hurled them at…the house beside Raiden.

Not seeing this move coming…Raiden could only blink as he saw the bombs already flashing.

KABOOM!

The mimi-bombs utterly demolished the wall of the house, the explosion sending Raiden flying back! Guts gave chase, and as soon as Raiden regained his footing, he reached into his belt and hurled three knives at Raiden’s chest.

The cyborg swordsman flinched as the throwing knives dug into his chest, and while this didn’t deal any lasting damage, this had cost him the second he needed to fully avoid Guts’s next swing.

Upon reflex, Raiden had brought down his own HF katana, and they were once more stuck in a deadlock of blades, Raiden beginning to overpower his foe as Guts freed his prosthetic arm from the hilt of Dragonslayer.

Guts, however, looked at him…and smirked. His prosthetic fist was aimed at Raiden, and fell to reveal a hole in his arm. Just as Raiden was within range…Guts pulled on the string with his teeth.

BOOM!

Raiden barely had time to narrowly swing his sword up and split the cannonball in two with the HF katana, but the sheer force of the explosion sent the cyborg swordsman flying into the air! Raiden yelled out as he was sent flying towards the top of the water tower, barely regaining his bearings and landing feet-first on the surface of the tower. Electricity coursed from his feet as he did so.

Without missing a beat, Raiden sprang from the tower, his HF blade crackling as he dove for Guts, who was aiming his prosthetic hand at the cyborg swordsman. Before the swordsman could make a move, Raiden immediately swung his sword down. Guts barely had the time to jump back, and as a result, a rather large gash had appeared within his armor, and the HF blade had cut deep. Guts stumbled back, howling in pain, and as soon as Raiden touched the ground, he immediately rushed the Black Swordsman, slashing at him once, twice, thrice, four times.

Falling to one knee, Guts’s grip on his sword remained firm, even as Raiden had dashed in and his clawed hands had clasped onto his foot. With a roar, Raiden spun Guts around once, twice, thrice, and hurled Guts into the sky! Running up the wall of a house, Raiden drew his HF katana once more, and bounded after Guts.

ZANDATSU!

For Raiden, time had slowed down to a crawl. Blade Mode now active, sparks flew as Raiden set to work.

To the regular observer, it would appear that a globe of bright blue had surrounded the airborne Guts and sent him flying towards the higher part of the mountain.

In Raiden’s eye, however…he was slashing at Guts everywhere at a normal pace, if this seemed normal to him. Five, twenty, thirty…Raiden showed no signs of stopping.

And then, with absolute finality, Raiden raised his blade and delivered a singular, powerful slash.

Time resumed its natural course then.

Without even a scream in pain, Guts plummeted towards the higher part of the mountain, on a patch of land surrounded by some trees, landing on his back. Raiden, on his part, landed on the edge of that part of the mountain as well, sparks flying from his feet. Raiden stood to full height, and then he gazed at Guts’s motionless form, Dragonslayer an inch from his hands. Twirling his sword in a flashy fashion, Raiden sheathed the blade.

(stop music)

Looking at the broken form of Guts, Raiden pondered to himself. Was this truly the right thing to do at this situation? Far as he knew, Guts was aware of the risks of holding such an invaluable artifact, and was probably driven by the same motivations as he was to keep the behelit out of other people’s grasp.

But he couldn’t let anyone else get their hands on the artifact. Still pondering if he made the right choice, Raiden strode towards Guts, searching the latter’s pockets until he finally got a hold of the artifact.

The next thing Raiden did was check for Guts’s vitals…Broken, battered, bruised, wounded, but alive. Critical, but still very much alive. Turning his back, Raiden began to walk away, his job done.

****

Guts, meanwhile, lay there. Motionless, but not lifeless, and certainly not thoughtless. Was it his fate to fall here? Was it his fate to finally meet his end at the hands of a total stranger who was after the behelit? Was he not worthy to take revenge on…him…?

No.

He wasn’t going to die here. He needed to take revenge.

Memories flowed into Guts’s mind. Memories of his friends…their exploits…







Casca…



All those people, gone…All taken away…


By…by…

By him…

.

.

.

“…That…

…goddamned…

BASTARD!!!”

“GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFFFIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!”

****


Raiden stopped in his tracks as he heard a roar of rage behind him…only barely stepping out of the way as Guts leapt down on him, Dragonslayer poised to cleave him in half. Raiden looked at the battered face of Guts as he stood back up to full height…and for the first time in the battle, he was experiencing fear.

The newly awakened Guts was crouched down…

CLAMP

A suit of armor, which appeared to have been forged from the pits of Hell itself, slid into existence across Guts’s body. At the same time…Guts’s humanity had decided to take backstage. His eyes were completely white and his countenance bestial. The Berserker Armor had consumed him.

Then, for the final touch…an ominous helmet clamped around Guts’s head, his visage wolfish and his eyes flashing menacingly.

From this point on…the human known as Guts no longer existed. The very last traces of his humanity, gone with the wind.

The berserker was loose.

Raiden blinked, then entered his signature battle stance. He knew that this was NOT going to lead to anything good.

With a feral roar, Berserker Guts lunged forward and swung with the Dragonslayer. Raiden raised his HF katana to parry…

…and was promptly sent staggering a few feet back, thanks to the strength given to Guts by the Berserker Armor!

Shocked at his foe’s new strength, Raiden tensed, and then prepared to slash—!

Only for him to get sent flying back towards a tree by a single strike of the Dragonslayer! Raiden howled in pain as the cursed sword gashed his metal plating and he crashed against the tree. Biting back the pain, Raiden rolled aside as the Dragonslayer, in a blur of black, split the tree completely in half.

Never stopping, Guts bounded after Raiden, his sword gripped with both hands, and smashed at the cyborg swordsman. Now, this blow was more than strong. It actually threatened to break Raiden’s arms then and there. Guts raised the blade again.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

With a bloodlusted snarl, Guts slammed the Dragonslayer on the HF katana. His assault was fueled by utter savagery, every single one of his blows coupled with intense bloodlust.

Gnashing his teeth, Raiden took a few steps back as Guts slammed his blade at him with unparalleled strength. Spotting an immediate opening, Raiden kicked at Guts’s chest, and immediately followed up by slashing at the Black Swordsman twice. Raiden concluded by ramming the HF blade into the berserker’s chest…which did little—no, nothing—to slow down the Hundred-Man Slayer.

The berserker didn’t even so much as feel the pain.

Roaring, Guts gripped onto the blade of the HF katana, and ignoring how it cut into his hand, he ripped it free from his chest!

“What?!” demanded Raiden. However, Guts wasn’t quite done yet. With a snarl, he hurled Raiden towards a tree, using the HF blade as a lever. Still not done, the berserker charged after Raiden, swinging the Dragonslayer so fast it appeared as a blur of black.

The slash nailed Raiden in the gut, forcing a howl of pain from the cyborg! In retaliation, Raiden rushed forward and slashed at Guts like mad, blood flying out of the wounds. However, Guts didn’t feel it. He didn’t give an honest damn about the pain.

With that, as Raiden reared his blade to go for a decapitating strike, Guts raised his free hand and caught the high-frequency sword!

The blade was still vibrating, beginning to loosen the molecular bonds of the Berserker Armor…but not for long. Guts, with monstrous strength, hefted Raiden into the air, still using the blade as a lever.

Then he proceeded to slam Raiden into the ground once. Twice. Thrice. Before Guts could slam him any further, however, Raiden let go of the HF katana’s hilt, then struck the berserker with a vicious gut-punch laced with electricity.

This punch knocked the berserker back, the HF katana flying out of his grip. Raiden caught it in midair, twirled it once, and rushed at Guts, swinging the blade down on him just as Guts swung his own sword.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A duel soon ensued. To the naked eye, this would appear as a blur of blue and black, with the black overwhelming the blue.

Guts was hacking away at Raiden, each of his blows laced with savagery and bloodlust. Now, overall, Raiden’s strikes were stronger, but with the savagery given to him by the Berserker Armor, Guts was now striking with enough force to match and surpass his blows.

A good twenty seconds of clashing, and Raiden knew that he was hard-pressed. Truly, he hadn’t expected this level of strength from his berserk opponent. This was power and savagery that could put Senator Armstrong’s to shame.

However, this necessitated that Raiden was the one still in control of his faculties…and in control enough to think rationally. He’d hatched a plan.

As Guts, with a feral roar, raised the Dragonslayer to cleave Raiden in half, Raiden rolled aside. As the Dragonslayer met the ground, the ground trembled and cracked, but Raiden was not thrown off balance.

The ninja cyborg was quick to rush forward and nail Guts with a savage gut-punch, giving him the second he needed to enact his plan.
Guts stumbled backward. Immediately seizing his chance, Raiden leapt up in the air, and dove down, his feet poised to deliver the mother of all dropkicks…aimed at Guts’s sword arm.

CRACK.

No howl of pain was emitted from Guts. He merely stumbled backwards, his sword arm bent pitifully and painfully. Raiden leapt back, and then looked at Guts, his blade and metal feet stained in blood. He aimed the HF blade at Guts, prepared to end the man’s pitiful existence on this earth…

SNAP-CRACK-RIIIIIP

Raiden’s eye widened in surprise and horror as blood began to spurt out of the openings in the Berserker Armor. And just like that, Guts’s broken arm snapped back into place, earning an ecstatic roar from the berserker.

Immediately, Raiden rushed forward…only for a deadly haymaker to strike him square in the chest! With a cry of pain, Raiden was sent flying towards a tree, nearly cracking it in half. Quickly, Guts retrieved his Dragonslayer and rushed at Raiden, whirling around and set to cleave the cyborg’s skull in two…

Raiden had recovered just in time to narrowly dodge the overhead strike, which split the tree behind him in two down the middle.

A blur of black.

“—guh!”

Raiden had zero time to react as the Dragonslayer nailed him in the gut! The pain was unfathomable. It made the pain from his duels with Jetstream Sam and Senator Armstrong look tame.

And it didn’t stop there.

With a feral snarl, Guts bounded up a great height, and slashed at Raiden once, twice, thrice, four times, five times, six, each strike laced with utter bloodlust. To conclude his vicious combo, he slammed the Dragonslayer at Raiden’s face! The visor was completely shattered as it did, and luckily, Raiden had been sent flying back to the ground. Now, this was luck on Raiden’s part, for if he hadn’t been sent flying to the ground, he would have been cleaved in half right then and there.

Guts landed on the ground, right in front of a tree…and it was then that the berserker within him decided that he was not yet done. He grabbed an average-sized tree and ripped it from its roots, and prepared to slam it down on Raiden.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Before Raiden could even roll out of the way, the heavy trunk slammed into him once, twice, thrice. Moaning in pain, Raiden could only watch as Guts hurled the trunk aside, picked up his massive sword, and strode towards him, killing intent brimming from his countenance.

Slowly, but surely, Raiden got up to his feet, and ignoring all the pain, attempted to circle Guts and strike with the HF blade…only for the berserker to swing his sword at him and send the HF blade flying out of his grip towards the cliff below.

Raiden could not get out of the way in time as Guts picked him up by the throat and rammed the entirety of the Dragonslayer into his gut, the blade sinking all the way down to its hilt. Guts looked up at the bloodied, beaten, and seemingly helpless Raiden, the eyes of his helm glowing ominously as they hungered for the kill…

.

.

.

.

.

“…heh.”


Guts stopped. His bloodlust and rage never left him…but he stopped.

He had heard a noise coming from Raiden. It was not a groan of pain, or a cry for mercy, or anything of the sort.

It was laughter.

It was a low chuckle at first, but it soon rose in volume to become full-blown, maniacal laughter. Raiden, still hanging impaled on the Dragonslayer, threw his head back and laughed.

As if on cue, the night sky darkened, and rain began to fall.

Perplexed and frustrated, the berserker slammed Raiden into the ground, freeing him from the Dragonslayer. Guts brought down his blade once more, only for Raiden to roll aside and recover. His lips were now curled in a feral smile, and a reddish aura was emanating from his body.

“So, berserker, how’s it feel to get drenched in the blood of your enemies?” demanded Raiden, his voice now deeper, throatier, more feral. He effortlessly dodged a blow from Guts, and landed on his feet.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” asked Raiden. “Well…I can relate to that.”

Raiden juked another slash. “You know, I think we’re both the same. We’ve both got dark sides trapped within us, waiting to be unleashed…”

He dodged another strike. “…but once our dark sides are out, thrashing for blood…the elation from dipping our feet in their blood…we don’t want it to leave, do we?!”

Dodging another strike, Raiden retaliated by slamming his fist into the wolfish helm of the Berserker Armor, cracking it if only by a bit. “Well, I’ve got bad news for ya,” he snarled. “With your dark side, I think you’ve just let my dark side loose. For too long I’ve kept it locked up, as I realized it would be too batshit insane to just let it do as it pleases.” A crackle of red lightning, and Raiden drew a blade on a sheath out of the air. “But now, with all the pain you’ve caused me…all this carnage…the chains are broken. My dark side is loose, free.”

He then stared into the eyes of the armor’s helm, his one eye glowing red. “This is my true nature, berserker…Jack the Ripper.”

Raiden—no, Jack—grabbed the hilt of the sword and slowly pulled it out of its scabbard. It was bloodshine, red lightning lacing its blade. Gripping the Murasama in his hands, Jack the Ripper pointed it at Guts like an accusing finger.

“My moniker,” rasped Jack. “Want to know how I got it?”

Guts’s response? He looked up at the heavens and let out an earth-shaking roar!

“Better yet…how’s about I show you?” challenged Jack, completely unfazed by this. “It’s time I showed you who I really am, without restraints, without bonds!”

Jack then bent down into a battle stance, his one eye flashing a dangerous red. The final clash between berserker and ripper was on.

“I think it’s time for Jack…TO LET ‘ER RIP!!!”

Responding appropriately, Guts roared, and then lunged for Jack, Dragonslayer poised to bisect the ripper a new one…but in an instant, the ripper was gone from the spot. A second later, Guts heard a mad cackle…

…and was unable to stop the blood-red blade of the Murasama from slashing at his chest.

The Berserker Armor had been an invaluable defense to Guts, protecting him from beatings from his world’s toughest demons and allowing him to come back to bite.

But would it hold up against the fury and insanity of Jack the Ripper?

The two proceeded to duel for a good total of fifteen seconds, but this time, Jack was the one slowly and steadily gaining the upper hand over Guts. In fact, once Jack had seen a slight opening in Guts’s savage assault and exploited it, his slash actually sent the berserker staggering back!

Wash away the anger

Of course, under the curse of the Berserker Armor, Guts didn’t feel the pain from the attack. He didn’t even mind the blood loss. All that mattered to him was to rip this tin man apart with his bare hands.

So, with a roar, Guts brought Dragonslayer down on Jack, but as Jack swung the Murasama to intercept the blow, he was actually knocked back a few feet. With a cackle, the ripper dashed forward, swinging his blade at Guts, who had just brought his blade down.

The Dragonslayer and the Murasama were caught in a deadlock, and Guts and Jack began to push against each other, the very earth beneath them cracking.

That was, of course, until Jack reared his head and smashed it into Guts’s. Wasting not a single second, Jack slashed at Guts once, twice.

Here I stand beneath the warm and soothing rain

Not one to let up under his new persona, Jack slashed once more, and as Guts caught the Murasama with his free hand, that arm snapped and broke! The berserker staggered, and as he swung his blade to bisect the open Jack, the ripper leapt up, freeing the Murasama from the berserker’s grip, and kicked thrice on Guts’s helm before slashing at the berserker once.

The droplets falling gently down on the terrain

Guts staggered back, but other than this, he stood undeterred, still determined to rip Jack a new one as the cursed armor set to work and “repaired” his broken arm. With unparalleled savagery, he hacked away at Jack…who matched his blows with his own bloodlust-laced strikes! The duel lasted for a good five seconds until Jack smashed his elbow against Guts’s chest.

Wash away the sorrow, all the stains of time

Jack then followed up with a barrage of rapid-fire kicks, striking at Guts like it was an episode of Fist of the North Star. The ripper then concluded his combo by hurling the Murasama upwards, catching its hilt with his feet, and slashing once more at Guts’s chest. There was now an X-shaped gash in the Berserker Armor, and it was leaking blood…but Guts, still under the ecstatic curse of the armor, did not feel it.

Jack then landed with his hand, and then tossed the Murasama back into the air. He seamlessly transitioned into delivering two swift punches before catching the blade by its hilt once more.

But there’s no memory, it’s only dry inside

With a roar, and with one hand, Guts slashed with the Dragonslayer and cut a gash across Raiden’s chest. Another slash, and then he thrust the Dragonslayer and plunged it into Jack’s torso. When Jack looked up, however, his face was not one on fiery agony, but one of nostalgic, delirious delight.

“Pain…this is why I fight!” roared Jack. With a roar, he ripped the Dragonslayer free from his torso with one hand, and then proceeded to stab Guts through the chest! “The bliss of this pain…it’s about time I showed it to you!!!”

With a roar, Guts pulled himself closer to the ripper, intent on choking the ever-living hell out of him.

In the mud and sinking deeper

However, Jack, getting thrilled at his foe’s attempts to get close, ripped the Murasama free from Guts’s chest, and as the berserker lunged for his throat, Jack leapt back, circled Guts, and then proceeded to slash at him twice more. He then crouched down, electricity coursing through his joints, and dashed forward, intent on tackling Guts off the cliff!

Into a peaceful life

Guts roared in defiance as Jack tackled into him, trying in vain to hold his ground as they approached the cliff, avoiding the trees in the way. In one last act of defiance, Guts grabbed onto Jack with his free hand as they approached the cliff and ran clean past it.

And it will flow like a flood of pain!

Pouring down on me!

With a roar, Jack kicked Guts free as they began their descent back into the mountain village. Jack and Guts both reared their blades and started hacking away at each other in midair, neither giving a damn about their injuries! The midair exchange went on for five seconds until both berserk swordsmen hit terra firma, landing on the roof of what appeared to be the village chief’s house.

Both having landed on their feet, Guts and Jack charged at each other and swung, the impact forcing their weight to crack the tiled roof beneath them.

And it will not let up until the end is here

The Dragonslayer and Murasama were caught in another deadlock. Little by little, the roof beneath them was crumbling, beginning to give way.

That was, until Jack shot his foot up and nailed Guts where the sun don’t shine…except this did little to Guts other than stagger him.

In a flash, Jack then remembered that Guts wasn’t screaming in pain ever since he donned that armor. Even his most powerful hits weren’t forcing an agonized cry out of the berserker—even as he had ascended into his current state.

His eye narrowing in bloodlust and the need to force a scream of pain from Guts, Jack slashed at the open Guts once more, chipping away the shoulder plate of the Berserker Armor and cutting slightly into Guts’s shoulder. He then followed up by tackling Guts off the house, blitzing the berserker with a series of kicks before launching him back to the ground.

And it will come through the darkest day!

In the final hour!

With a snarl, Guts shot back up to his feet and landed a hit with the Dragonslayer, sending Jack flying back towards the wall of the chieftain’s house. However, Jack, ignoring the sudden pain in his gut, landed feet-first on the wall and sprang from it, his eye filled to the utter brim with the intent to slice Guts into mincemeat.

Of course, Guts had readied Dragonslayer, and as soon as Jack swung his blade in a wide arc, he reciprocated the action, the loud CLANG! resounding throughout the entire part of the village. Both pulled back, and instantly began hacking away at each other once more…

And it will never rest until the clouds are clear

…that was, until Jack, ultimately having had enough of this man’s refusal to die, flipped backwards and sent Guts stumbling back with a kick to the chin. This also chipped away the lower jaw of the Berserker Armor’s wolfish helm. Not about to let up, Jack then swung the Murasama once, twice, thrice at Guts’s head…until the helmet finally shattered, revealing the mercenary’s battered and bloodied face.

Until it finds my dreams have disappeared

Jack then reared the Murasama and began to hack away, cutting thirty-some deep gashes all over Guts’s body and causing explosions of blood to fly.

Giving no quarter, Jack flipped over and rammed the Murasama at Guts’s chest, the blade sinking all the way down to its hilt. Guts looked down and coughed blood, but Jack was undeterred by this. Wanting nothing more than to revel in the pain of his foe, Jack looked up at his face…

…and Guts looked up as well. Blood trickling down from his head through several cuts, Guts…smiled.

Despite living a life of conflict and violence from an early age, despite having killed many people, despite reveling in the blood of his foes as he did so…in this duel, with the bloodied and beaten man looking up at him with this ghastly grin…Jack the Ripper couldn’t help but feel fear seep into his primal, bloodlusted heart.

Quickly utilizing this opening, Guts ripped the Murasama free from his chest, and with a roar of excitement and bloodlust, pinned Jack the Ripper to the ground. He then proceeded to stomp on the ripper’s face once. Twice. And then thrice.

Not finished yet, Guts grabbed Jack by the face, and after slamming him into the ground once, twice, three, four, five times, he then proceeded to slam the flat of Dragonslayer on the back of his head three times, cracking his skull. Roaring, Guts then grabbed Jack hurled him far away, towards another building.

It was then that Jack’s Ripper state of mind flickered and died…leaving Jack as Raiden once more. The cyborg ninja maintained a firm grip on his blade’s hilt, fighting through the haze of pain as he watched Guts approach.

Now, both fighters had been pushed to their very limit, and should one land a solid, fatal hit on the other…they would die for certain.
And neither of them was going to have any of that.

My dreams disappear!

As Guts trudged forward, dragging the blade of the Dragonslayer across the ground, Raiden contemplated on the choices he currently had. He had little FC electrolytes left in his system, at least not enough for him to reenter his Ripper mode. And Guts had beaten him back into his base state, meaning his next choice would mean life or death.

And as it currently stood, Raiden only had one choice available.

He needed the Blade Mode.

As Guts raised his sword, ready to end Raiden right then and there like a crazy executioner, Raiden concentrated…and just as the Dragonslayer began to plummet down, time slowed to a crawl. Knowing he had very little time to attack Raiden sprang into action.
Now.

With a roar of “DIE!”, Raiden set to work. He swung once at Guts’s sword hand once. And then twice. And then ten times. And then twenty. As soon as Raiden’s Zandatsu state of mind ended…Guts’s sword hand was cut cleanly off his arm, then sliced into bloody giblets.

There was no roar of pain from Guts. There was only rage, the need to kill. The moment Raiden and Guts locked eyes…

…Raiden couldn’t help but smile. It was not one of bloodlust, but one of empathy.

Guts was simply a man who was facing up to terrible pain every single day of his life. He had seen great horrors indeed, and with blade in hand, he was constantly battling with demons that caused those horrors. It was probably why he was after that artifact.
Guts, Raiden now knew, was a man constantly in battle with the demon inside of him…and Raiden reflected on that last thought. It was something he could relate to.

With that in mind…

“Forgive me for this,” said Raiden, “but I’ve got to put you down. For your own good.”

Meanwhile, Guts’s own strength was fading, as was the influence of the Berserker Armor. Without the bloodlust of the Beast within him, all Guts was left with was his own desire to live—his own desire for vengeance. Visions and memories fluttered through his mind once more…visions of friends and enemies, of hatred and love, of life and death…of Casca and Griffith.

He had to save her. He had to kill that fucking monster. Even if it meant he had to put his own life at risk every single day.

With one last roar, Guts lunged forward, his remaining arm outstretched to grab Raiden by the throat.

“RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

With the last of his FC electrolytes, Raiden entered Blade Mode one last time, as Guts lunged for him, his blank eye filled to the brim with the desire to avenge…the desire to live.

One final, mental apology…and then Raiden swung the Murasama one last time, with a single, forcible, ultra-precise strike.

The blade did more than cut through what remained of the Berserker Armor. It bifurcated Guts. Sliced him clean in half. So fine and quick was this cut that Guts didn’t even see it coming—let alone feel it coming.

Finally, as Blade Mode flickered and died, Raiden looked down on the bifurcated body of his opponent, his head bowed in a silent show of respect.


As Raiden continued to look on, he uttered only one phrase to his bisected foe, with utmost sincerity:

“You’re pretty good…”

Grimacing in pain, he limped towards Guts’s upper half and closed his eyes. He then walked towards the discarded Dragonslayer, began digging a pit in the soil below him with it, and then gently laid Guts’s two halves into the pit. After giving Guts a proper burial, Raiden then thrust the Dragonslayer into the grave, to serve as a tombstone.

Raiden stood there and looked up, the rain trickling down his face. For a moment, he wondered if he’d done the right thing. But then, he understood that it had to be done.

Too late, Raiden had wished things didn’t come to this. In other circumstances, he knew they could have been allies…but Raiden knew that this was mercy, in a way. This way, Guts wouldn’t have to live his life in continual pain anymore.

INCOMING CODEC CALL

Solemnly, Raiden tapped into his temple, and the CODEC screen appeared before his eye. This time, the one who had appeared wasn’t Boris, but a metallic, robotic doglike machile with red slits for eyes and rows of sharp teeth…and full capability of speech.

“RAIDEN. I HAVE JUST FINALLY ESTABLISHED CONTACT. I TRUST YOU ARE SAFE?” inquired the machine, Blade Wolf.

“Yes, Wolf,” replied Raiden. “Although I did run into some trouble…You’re gonna have to come over here and pick me up.”

“HAVE YOU RETRIEVED THE ARTIFACT?” asked Blade Wolf.

“…I lost it,” said Raiden.

“OH. ALL RIGHT, THEN. WHEN SHALL I COME TO RETRIEVE YOU?”

“Right now.”

“AFFIRMATIVE.”

As the CODEC screen shut, Raiden cast one last glance at the Dragonslayer. Giving Guts’s fallen sword one final nod, Raiden smiled sadly, and then fell back against the nearest wall he could find.

He really needed the rest.

KO!

****



TheMHFan: Whoa, that got a little brutal…

Bringer of Darkness: Contrary to popular belief, Guts vs Raiden is actually a pretty close fight. It is true that Raiden outclasses Guts in terms of general overall physicality, and if this were a battle based on stats alone, this would have been a complete stomp in Raiden’s favor…

TheMHFan: But y’all seem to forget that this is Guts we’re talking about. You know, the guy who’ll literally do anything to win a fight? His willpower’s crazy! He’ll do anything to win the fight, even get himself impaled, set himself on fire, or just fight really, really dirty!
Bringer of Darkness: It must also be noted that Guts, overall, is far more brutal than Raiden, even when the latter enters his Jack the Ripper state.

TheMHFan: Let’s not forget that this is literally what Guts does every single day. He’s pretty darn used to fighting opponents way out of his league. Sea god? Check. Demon of doom? Check. An APOSTLE? Check! No matter what demons you suggest, you can bet that Guts has faced ‘em all.

Bringer of Darkness: His sheer brutality, willpower, tendency to prevail those far beyond his weight class, and capacity to fight dirty allowed him to even the odds and fight on even keel with the cyborg swordsman.

TheMHFan: But even with all of that, Base Guts could only last so long against somebody like Raiden. You know, a guy who can suplex giant metal gears, jump on multiple missiles, and get punched through a machine built to survive nuclear wars?

Bringer of Darkness: With such a gap in speed, strength, and durability, it was only a matter of time before Raiden could overwhelm Base Guts. Berserker Guts, on the other hand…

TheMHFan: It did far more than just give Guts a leg-up. Oh, no. With the Berserker Armor, victory could have been Guts’s.

Bringer of Darkness: Remember that the armor rids Guts of all of his inhibitions, essentially turning him into a mindless killing machine whose sole purpose is to destroy his foe. Raiden, despite his impressive feats of strength, would not be ready for this level of brutality, especially as his own blows will do nothing to stop Guts from trying to kill him. Against the Berserker Armor, the chances of Raiden winning were rather slim…

TheMHFan: And then Jack the Ripper showed up and threw Guts’s victory right out the window.

Bringer of Darkness: Right. In this state, Raiden’s strength and speed skyrocket, widening the gap in power between the two by a large margin. Plus, Raiden in this state has shown to be capable of cutting through machines literally built to survive nuclear wars! Couple that with Blade Mode, and well…let’s just say even with the Berserker Armor, Guts’s chances of winning against Jack the Ripper were slim to none.

TheMHFan: The only real disadvantage that the Ripper mode had was that it ran on a time limit. The Berserker Armor, on the other hand, pretty much kills Guts the longer he uses it! Its “healing” factor didn’t really help much either, since it just holds Guts together!

Bringer of Darkness: Also, while a significant power boost, when compared to the Berserker Armor, Jack the Ripper still gives Raiden some leeway to think rationally, as demonstrated in his battle against Monsoon, where he was still very much capable of dodging and defending himself. The Berserker Armor, on the other hand, rids Guts of all ability to feel pain and all capacity to think rationally. Thus, with only bloodlust in his mind, Guts wasn’t able to pull back before Raiden became Jack the Ripper and it was too little and too late.

TheMHFan: Yeah, Guts is a pretty strong guy who fights gods and demons leagues above his abilities and wins, but that doesn’t mean Guts can win every fight. What would happen if you pitted him against Asura? Or Lightning Farron? Or Superman?

Bringer of Darkness: Thus, with his abilities and best overall feats outclassing Guts’s, it was only a matter of time before Guts would suffer the fatal blow.

TheMHFan: Guts gave it his all, but he just didn’t have the guts to let it rip.

Bringer of Darkness: The winner is Raiden.

Victor: RAIDEN…
+ Stronger and tougher by a rather large margin
+ Blade Mode could scan for weak points
+ Much, much faster, especially with Blade Mode
+ Ripper Mode is a significant powerup, and doesn’t rid him of all capacity to think rationally
+ Ripper Mode doesn’t have debilitating drawbacks, at least when compared to the Berserker Armor
- HF Blades cannot break Dragonslayer
- Base Raiden could have died to Berserker Guts

Defeated: GUTS…
+ Greater willpower and tenacity
+ More brutal and pragmatic
+ Far more willing to fight dirty
+ Berserker Armor could have overwhelmed Base Raiden
- Overall physically weaker
- Berserker Armor is a double-edged sword
- Slower overall
- Can’t hope to match Jack the Ripper, even with the Berserker Armor

****
NEXT TIME:

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