Love is Preached in the Century's End!
Her Name is Leia!!

Tao explains to Kenshiro that the men of his land have only one goal: to win in battle. The Asuras devour each other, shrouding this land in darkness. He leads Kenshiro down a certain street, and removes the cover from a sewer entrance.

As he leads Kenshiro down through a cave, Tao thinks that something is missing, he just doesn't remember what it was. But his older sister knows. They come up to a door, and a rag lets them inside. Inside, they see Tao's sister, Leia, giving a lesson to some children.

Tao says that his sister opened this school without the Asuras knowing about it. Before the children are taken away to the training grounds, she teaches them things that are forbidden in this land. The children are asking Leia about that word she just said: love. They wonder what it means, as they've never heard of it. Leia says that if a friend or someone they liked dies, they would feel sad. You can't be taught that feeling, everyone knows it from the moment they're born, a part of your heart you can't erase. No matter how much killing or betrayal there may be, people always find their last solace in love.

Tao says he was also taught here, and now he's sure Leia was teaching him the truth. The rag says it's still sad though, as in this land, you could scream about love, but nobody would hear you. Or they'd kill you for talking about it. Kenshiro asks if Shachi was here, and Tao says he was, but he was a different person back then. The North Star lapis lazuli fist changed him.

As the lesson ends, Tao runs up to his sister, and says that Kenshiro has something to ask her. Kenshiro asks her about Shachi -does she have any idea where he may be headed? Leia says she'll tell him, if he can kill him. The North Star lapis lazuli fist is a tremendous art, the most brutal on this earth. It may be strong enough to change this land, but if that were to happen, the tragedies would only grow.

Meanwhile, the fight between Kaiser and Shachi begins. Kaiser uses a technique called kohai youga tou (bear claw pilfer of the tiger back), and one of his hands glows with energy. He says he has won 8,800 battles as an Asura, and warns Shachi he won't be able to follow his hands. Shachi says he can see now why Kaiser is the district leader of this place. But his North Star lapis lazuli fist has grown tired of devouring punk Asuras.

Kaiser charges forward, and tells Shachi to show off his art. Shachi also moves forward, thinking he needs to find a way to seal the movement of Kaiser's hands. He almost gets hit by Kaiser's attack, but it only grazes him in the end. Shachi leaps over him, but thinks that Kaiser is fast.

Kaiser turns around, and asks him what's wrong. Shachi thinks he'll try to go for his opponent's legs, and uses a slide kick. But Kaiser hits him with an energy blast before he can strike him.

One of Shachi's legs bleeds, as Kaiser tells him that trying to strike at his arms and legs was a poor choice. He decides there's no point waiting around to see Shachi's art, he clearly needs 100 more years of training before trying to take him on. He asks which organ he'd like him to rip out -his heart, his lungs, or maybe his spine? He decides to target his ribs.

He goes to strike him, and Shachi allows himself to get hit. Using his technique, Kaiser is able to break off a bone from one of Shachi's ribs. But Shachi then grabs Kaiser's arm, and pulls it out of his body before Kaiser can do any more damage.

Shachi then rips Kaiser's arm off of his body. Kaiser realizes Shachi dropped his guard just to lure him in, and then sacrificed a rib so he could take his arm. Shachi says that's right, and asks him if he knows what this means. It means he's seen through his movements.

Lin sees this as her chance to escape, but Shachi screams at her not to run. He throws a knife at her, which strikes her shoulder.

As she falls, Shachi tells her he won't say this again: if she tries to run away again, he'll kill her, even if she is a woman.

Tao asks Leia how she could ask Kenshiro to kill Shachi? Kenshiro wants to know why someone who preaches about love is now asking for death. Leia says she can preach love to a human being, but even the devil is like a child compared to that man. Tao asks her why she won't smile for him. Leia says that he let those Asuras take him away, because he wanted to be like Shachi.

Tao says that's not the case, he was living in fear, and hiding every day from the Asuras. When they asked him to kill a friend, he realized that what she had said was right. Leia smiles, and says she welcomes him home. As they hug, Leia knows he once loved Shachi, which is why he must not make the same mistake that he did.

Meanwhile, Shachi tells Kaiser that he's lost an arm just to take one of his ribs... that's a pretty steep price. Kaiser thinks he must be a Rakshasa, a devourer of demons. But for a whelp like him, one arm is enough. Shachi says he'll give him a good taste of his North Star lapis lazuli fist.

Shachi uses a stabbing technique, which Kaiser narrowly avoids. Kaiser tries to strike back, grazing Shachi's shoulder. Shachi goes for a kick, only for Kaiser to block it.

He then blasts Shachi down to the floor. Kaiser tells him it's useless, when he moves to attack, he gives away everything. He can read every move he makes! Shachi gets back up, and says this is just what he'd expect from an Asura with 8,800 victories.

Kaiser goes to attack again, but Shachi leans back, and goes for a kick. Kaiser goes to block it...

...but Shachi changes the angle of his kick so fast that Kaiser can't do anything to avoid it. His kicks connects, striking Kaiser's head. As Kaiser stumbles, Shachi rushes forward, and uses a technique:

HAMA TOKUSHI

(Destructive Scraping Solitary Finger)

Shachi calls Kaiser careless. Being careless makes you defenseless against unexpected attacks, and creates unguarded moments. He tells Kaiser to lament his foolishness in hell, and then removes his finger. Parts of Kaiser's head explode, and he congratulates Shachi on his victory. But he wants to know what he seeked to gain in defeating him. Does he intend to devour all Asuras, then become like a God?

Shachi says he wants something greater: God himself will become his servant. Kaiser thinks he's a fool -surely he must know that there are the three rashos (supreme leaders) of Asura, who are worshipped as the Gods of battle. He thinks about how the third supreme leader, Han, was the one who gave him these scars. He wasn't even able to see his Han's fist. He tells Shachi that the supreme leaders won't be defeated by someone like him.

Shachi says this is why he took this woman. He intends to make Kenshiro his pawn, and sacrifice him against Han so he can see through his style. Meanwhile, Leia leads Kenshiro and Tao to a certain place.

They stop at the entrance to a cave. Leia says that Shachi has changed, ever since he mastered the North Star lapis lazuli fist...

An Asura takes some cover inside the cave, but a large man called Kaijin appears behind him. Kaijin thinks he's here to take back the treasure he's collected, and tells him he's going to pay. But before he can attack, Shachi appears. He tells Kaijin he's stolen a lot of stuff, and he's even more of a monster than they say.

Kaijin goes to attack him, but Shachi tells him he'll be the first training dummy for his fists. Shachi runs towards Kaijin, just as Tao and Lei arrive. Leia screams for Shachi to stop.

Shachi briefly stops and looks around, but then resumes his attack. He passes right by Kaijin, and says that he's done it -he's mastered the secret destructive point which destroys the entire body.

Kaijin's stomach caves in, and then explodes, causing his body to split in half. Leia watches in horror, realizing Shachi has not only just killed someone, but seemingly has enjoyed doing it. Shachi say that his fists have now surpassed God, and will grant him anything he wants. He then starts laughing.

Back in the present, Leia says that the North Star lapis lazuli fist challenges even God. All of its successors have become stained with greed, until it seeps into every last drop of their blood. The rag from earlier then runs up, and reports that Shachi has been sighted, and has kidnapped an outlander woman called Lin. Kenshiro explains that he's come to this land to bring Lin back.

But he then says that perhaps he was drawn here by this other art, an art that uses the name of the North Star. He asks where Shachi could have gone, and Leia believes that if Shachi has kidnapped that woman to lure him in, then he's surely headed to where supreme leader Han is. Leia says Han is another man who has sold his soul to the God of ambition. He's the third supreme leader of Asura, and is another successor to the North Star lapis lazuli fist. And at Han's castle...

Han is having his beard shaved, but the Asura doing it is too nervous. Han asks him what's wrong -he can go ahead and cut his throat if he wants. The Asura can't do it, and backs off.

A rag then reports that a new Asura has just been born in the coliseum. Han gets up and asks what the guy's style is. The rag says the Asura uses a spear technique, and has requested to meet Han. Han goes to meet the new Asura.

Han tells the Asura that he's done well to survive this day. He tells him that if he has any request, he must speak now. The Asura says he could not ask for anything more, he has enough. He is at the extent of his abilities, and asks Han if he could serve him for the rest of his life. Han crouches down and asks him if he has no ambition. The Asura bows, and says he has none.

Han tells him that there is no reason for him to keep living. The Asura is hit by a gust of wind, as Han stands back up, and then turns around. The Asura thinks he's going to be killed, and decides to attack Han now, whilst his back is turned. He goes to attack him, but Han says he's already ended his life.

The Asura is then hit by another gust of wind, but it's much stronger than before. It rips him into pieces.

HOKUTO RYUUKEN OUGI: MABU KOUSOU

(North Star Lapis Lazuli Fist Secret Technique: Crimson Scrape Dance)



"My fist is a gale. It moves so fast that none have ever seen its shadow."

At a beach, Shachi looks out at the ocean. Lin comes up and looks at him, so he asks her what she's staring at. She says that, as she thought, he is not a man of this land. The men here don't show sadness in their eyes like he does. Shachi tells her to shut up, and not to think about things like that. Whatever she may think, he is still a Rakshasa, who devours Asuras. He's a man out to devour God himself, and abandoned his human emotions long ago. He tells her not to forget that she's his bait to lure out Kenshiro, and get him to fight Han.

Lin smacks his hand back and tells him he doesn't need to go to all that trouble. She knows Ken will come, as long as this Han needs to be defeated. She tells Shachi they'll go to Han, and starts to walk off. As Shachi follows her, he wonders how she has no fear. He doesn't understand how her trust for Kenshiro could be so deep. Or perhaps... it's love?

Elsewhere, Leia looks at a pendant, and recalls that time...

The pendant was something that Shachi had given to her. Back in the present, Leia breaks the pendant's chain.

She lets it drop to the ground. Kenshiro and Tao walk up, and Kenshiro asks her if it's really alright for him to defeat Shachi. Leia nods, but Tao thinks there's no way she'd really want Shachi to die. What she really wants is for the North Star lapis lazuli fist to end, not for Shachi to die. Leia says she's already forgotten him.

Kenshiro picks up the pendant, and tells Leia that there's no need for her to forget anything yet. She should wait for Shachi, so she doesn't forget how to love.

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW

The Land of Asura is isolated from the rest of the world! Kenshiro challenges the supreme leader of Asura, and the seven stars on his chest shine brightly! Next time, on Fist of the North Star 2: "Supreme Leader Han! The Man Who Stains White Snow Into Blood Red!!"