Match 16886 Heishiro Mitsurugi vs. Genjuro

[JohnnyChany]

GAINING AN EDGE: A MASSIVE FIGHTING GAME CROSSOVER

PART 152

Aboard the Freedom Survivor cruise liner, Polish Prime Minister, Lidia Sobieska, received a full info dump debriefing from the Greek warrior, Sophitia Alexandra, all about the history of Soul Edge, Soul Calibur, and the pact Sophitia and her allies made to keep the wicked sword from reaching its full potential. (REF: KING VS. EL BLAZE)

“So you are saying this weapon could destroy my country?”

“Yours and many others if not the whole world,” warned Sophitia.

“And the fragments of that same weapon are inside you and what has kept you alive all this time?” asked Lidia.

“Yes,” answered Sophitia.

“How come it does not affect you the same way it did the fighters on this boat?” Lidia inquired. (REF: MARSHALL LAW VS. JANN LEE)

“It has tainted my soul just as it does all who encounter it. The key is building up the resistances so that it does not control you. In truth, you are never fully free of its influence while it is inside you,” Sophitia explained.

“Fascinating,” Lidia marveled.

“It is for that reason that I broke the pact that we all shared and removed the shards from my children. They were not strong enough to overcome its influences and if I hadn’t acted I would have lost them to evil forever. I could not just leave the shards to infect someone else so I entrusted them to three heroes who I had met on my journey, Charlotte, Sogetsu, and Kanzuki. (REF: SOPHITIA ALEXANDRA VS. CHARLOTTE) Sogetsu is the one with me here now. They agreed to ingest the shards to continue our mission. I owe them all a debt I may never be able to repay,” Sophitia asserted.

“Did any of your other friends do similar things?” asked Lidia.

“I don’t know. Many of us have drifted apart and I think it is wise that we remain apart for obvious reasons. There is only one that I know who took shards out of his own body and shared them with someone else and that is Maxi. (REF: MAXI VS. CLAUDIO SERAFINO) In truth, I would not think any less of any of the others if they did the same despite the promise we made. Not simply because it would be hypocritical of me, but because it is a terrible burden to bear. I think it’s sweet that Maxi found someone willing to share it with him,” Sophitia remarked.

Lidia expressed some concern. “The more you share and spread the shards, does it not make it more likely that they end up in a person who can not handle them or more worryingly would welcome its evil influence.”

“Yes,” admitted Sophitia. “But I have faith in the warriors that fought by my side against Soul Edge. I trust in their judgment of people, should they make that decision.” 

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Heishiro Mitsurugi felt it, just as all the warriors did that subjected themselves to being injected by shards of Soul Edge to weaken the demonic blade. The ominous presence of Soul Edge’s seemingly inevitable return to the world of man. Mitsurugi knew he would need to participate in defeating the entity of evil once again. He was sure the likes of Sophitia, Viola (REF: ROSE VS. VIOLA), and Kilik (REF: KILIK VS. ASH CRIMSON) were already taking an active approach in confronting this looming threat, however Mitsurugi had some unfinished business he had to take care of first.

Centuries earlier, Mitsurugi had come across another samurai warrior named Haohmaru whom he formed an almost instant kinship with. They crossed blades and developed a large amount of respect for one another. Their personalities also meshed together well, and for the first time in a long while, the nomadic Mitsurugi found someone he enjoyed being around. So much so that he offered Hoahmaru some of the Soul Edge shards from his body to extend his life and give him the chance to be a hero to the world.

Haohmaru respectfully accepted the shards from Mitsurugi but was understandably hesitant about absorbing them into his body. So, he kept them nearby in a small satchel. This indecision on what to do with the fragments would wind up costing Haohmaru dearly. The remnants of Soul Edge called out to Haohmaru’s longtime hated rival, the sadistic Genjuro Kibagami. He stole them from under Haohmaru’s nose and ingested them himself. Feeding into Genjuro’s already substantial bloodlust, the fragments of Soul Edge corrupted the sword fighter immediately and in an aggressive rage Genjuro killed Haohmaru.

Mitsurugi felt an enormous amount of guilt for having inadvertently caused the death of his friend. Mitsurugi recalled admonishing himself for being so reckless with the burden that he was bearing. Also, the concern that Genjuro would go after Yoshimitsu and the Manji Clan to try and obtain Soul Edge proper. Mitsurugi would try and go after Genjuro himself several times over the next several decades but their fights never had a conclusive winner and would usually be ended by some external interference.

Now, as he felt a stronger Soul Edge presence than he had since they had defeated Nightmare, Mitsurugi was determined not to fail in this undertaking any longer. He needed to find Genjuro and put the samurai down. Not just to avenge his friend, but to ensure that the Evil Seed would not get in Genjuro’s possession. Surely the cold blooded killer would be the perfect vessel to revive the azure knight, Nightmare. 

In their previous fights throughout history, Mitsurugi was usually in pursuit of Genjuro after the latter had committed some violent atrocities. This time, Mitsurugi knew he needed to be more proactive in his approach. He knew that Genjuro’s favorite activity other than inflicting pain was gambling, specifically cards. Genjuro also remained stubborn in his outward appearance, sticking with his traditional garb instead of changing with the times. This meant that he never went to the larger cities to get his gambling fix so that he could avoid unwanted attention. 

Mitsurugi searched through villages and small towns for gambling hotspots hoping he could find one that would attract Genjuro. Once he found one he would use the locals to spread the word that a big pot was up for grabs in an effort to lure in his target. Mitsurugi was not confident that this would work the first time around, but that eventually he would ensnare Genjuro.

After the first location that Mitsurugi had selected failed to attract Genjuro’s attention, he moved to the next one convinced Genjuro was not in the area. The next option was an underground gambling spot that was rumored to host all sorts of shady individuals. It sounded like the perfect place for Genjuro to play his cards. Mitsurugi walked down a long flight of stairs into a dimly lit room with red light bulbs. There were a few people walking around, but overall the place appeared to be much more sparsely attended than Mitsurugi had been led to believe. Perhaps this would be a good thing, Genjuro was not a fan of crowds. Everyone appeared very nervous at the sight of Mitsurugi, even more than normal. Something was off.

A familiar voice echoed down the hall. “Heishiro! You’ve made it. It’s about time.”

Mitsurugi came face to face with his target much earlier than he had anticipated. Genjuro stood before him with a confident smile on his face and his hand hovering over his sword. Mitsurugi had planned to ambush Genjuro, but it would seem as if the opposite had transpired.

“As soon as I felt the surge of energy from the Soul Edge shards inside my body, I knew you would come for me,” Genjuro declared. “You are right to be afraid of my connection to the sword.”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Mitsurugi countered.

“If you say so, but you should know that Soul Edge has spoken to me. It is calling out to me to come claim it as my destiny. It has instructed me to make sure that I kill you first because you are the only one that would see me coming,” Genjuro explained.

Mitsurugi tensed up.

“All because you could not admit your mistake, your failure, to your friends,” continued Genjuro. “You can rest easy knowing that the story of your failure will die with you and you will not have to face their judgment.” Genjuro lifted his sword over his head.  “Although they will no doubt be cursing your name when I plunge this world into chaos.”

The inflection in Genjuro’s voice had momentarily changed and Mitsurugi was unsure whether he was talking to the red haired samurai or Soul Edge itself. Either way, the goal remained the same.

“You will never get the chance to do such a thing,” Mitsurugi threatened. “Because you are not leaving this room alive.”

 

 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Heishiro Mitsurugi
Read more about Heishiro Mitsurugi at Wikipedia
Official Site: Namco Links: Wikipedia- Heishiro Mitsurugi Soul Calibur Wiki- Mitsurugi Fighter's Generation

Genjuro
Read more about Genjuro at Wikipedia
Official Site: SNK Playmore Links: Wikipedia SNK Wikia FightersGeneration

[RakaiThwei]

Well this one is definitely going to be an interesting match up...

I'm gonna go with Mitsurugi on this one! But he's definitely not coming out of this unscathed!

[leroypowell3]

Tough one. I'll go with Genjuro he's just beast and a half.

[Pizzaguy2995]

Oscar Wilde once said “You can always judge a man by the quality of his enemies,” and throughout his time Mitsurugi has made enemies and rivalries with Taki, Algol, Setsuka, and in the reboot the guest fighter Geralt of Rivia! My money’s on him.

[DSkillz]

Another good set-up, Johnny. I see that this one's dedicated more to the Soul Calibur side of things. 

As for the match-up, since Genjuro's rival Hoahmaru might've matched up well enough with Mitsurugi to earn the latter's respect before being given a Soul Edge shard, It kinda makes me think that Genjuro with a Soul Edge is now probably at least on par with Mitsurugi power-wise. Still, as mentioned, Mitsuguri's used to dealing with powerful enemies, so between that and having more experience with Soul Edge, he just might edge this out.

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - RakaiThwei
5.00 - Pizzaguy2995
4.80 - DSkillz

FPA Calculation:
3 Total Votes cast
14.80 Total Combined Score
14.80 / 3 = 4.93 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Heishiro Mitsurugi: 4
Genjuro: 1