L.G.D.K! Chapter 01 – Livin’ on a Prayer?

Author’s note: Sorry for waiting a week, but here’s the first real chapter of “Let’s Go Devil King!”. I originally was just going to keep everything as “Memories” that lead up to the prologue, but I eventually went against it. Most of my inspiration comes while I’m writing. Sometimes it comes at random too. I even change things as I write, like originally Kimiko was only going to be the former delinquent. While I was writing Sea’s first memory, I decided to change Kimiko to the maid from the prologue. Still, that was only the first example. Hell, I originally was going to have Lobo as Coy’s rival in Walton’s Gang. But when I took a break and ended up watching Violence Jack, Lobo changed into a lone wolf character who loves to prove his strength and became somewhat inspired by Violence Jack. Just remember, a lot of this story is inspired by anime and manga. Anywho, please enjoy?

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I couldn’t believe the events that had happened this far. Here I am, in a fantasy world after getting rescued, but… riding in a saloon car with the Hero, who used to be a criminal. What am I now, his gun moll? Still… at least he was no longer wearing his zoot suit. When he came to rescue me, he looked more like a hero. He was wearing a dark gray short-sleeved tunic, dark brown leather boots, tan trousers, long gloves that matched the boots with metal bands hidden under for wrist protection, and a cape of some sort. I will admit, the cloth headband he was wearing helped as well. Still… his weapons were unique. I accepted the gun-belt he was wearing with a revolver in the holster on the left. But… the sword that he carries on his back. It was a katana, the last thing I lasted to see in this world.

“Coy-kun… where did you get that sword?”

“Back when I was with my party, I entered a cave that was once the alter of a pagan god. It was scary, full of undead enemies.” (Coy)

“Wait… the undead? There’s undead in this world!?”

I was never able to handle zombie movies real well in my world.

“Yeah, there is. It was fitting as it was supposed to be a goddess of death. But when I got there, she didn’t want to fight. She gave me that sword and told me that there’s more than meets the eye.” (Coy)

This was mysterious. Not only did a god other than the Deity give him that sword, but gave him a mysterious message as well. Still, I had to know.

“What’s the sword’s name?”

“Shinusame.” (Coy)

No way, this was getting more mysterious.

“Coy-kun… that’s in my native language. It means ‘Death Rain’.”

“Wow… kinda wicked and creepy at the same time.” (Coy)

“But… why is there a sword that looks like it came from my world with a name in my language in this world?”

“To be honest, I don’t know.” (Coy)

This was getting us no where. Not to mention, it was getting dark out and we had yet to find a town.

“Coy-kun… where are we going to sleep tonight?”

“I guess since there’s no town for miles, we could just camp out?” (Coy)

“You’re kidding… right?”

To be honest, I hated camping. Back in school, we did a class camping trip and I had a bad experience of being bitten by countless mosquitoes. And to top it off… poison ivy. It was the most embarrassing moment in my life.

“Nope. I’ve had to camp out a lot of times on my journey. And I’ve been wondering… what’s with that suffix that you keep giving me anyway?” (Coy)

Damn, he’s changing the subject. But… I can guess that he’s unfamiliar with honorifics from my homeland as well.

“It’s an honorific from where I’m from. ‘Kun’ is one given to males of adolescence, but is normally used for old friends and former classmates and such. That’s why I call you ‘Coy-kun’. Like how people where I’m from used to call me ‘Yuki-chan’, it’s one for females.”

“I see…” (Coy)

“Now that I’ve explained myself… mind telling me where exactly we’re camping at?”

With that, he pulled the car over.

“As it’s a clear night out tonight… lets find a nice place in the woods?” (Coy)

“Alright…”

I didn’t like it, but I still have to be Yuki Sengoku right now. The capitol was in the center of the Demon Realm, so we weren’t even at the border yet. I still have much to learn about Coy and I need him to protect me. Still… I can’t believe that I gave myself to him. Is he thinking something nasty? Is he going to use my fears of the outdoors to seduce me?

“Um… you’re getting red, Sea. You got a fever?” (Coy)

“What!?”

Is this guy dense!? Has he never seen a girl blush in his whole life!? Before I knew it, he grabbed the back of my head gently and his face slowly is getting closer to mine… no! I’m not ready for my first kiss yet! Please, stop!? But… maybe it won’t be so bad? I just closed my eyes.

“Nope, your temperature isn’t high.” (Coy)

“Huh?”

I opened my eyes, our faces we close. His forehead was up against mine. He then moved his head away from mine and removed his hand from the back of my head. Like when I first saw him in the crystal ball, he was messing with my expectations. But before I could complain, we heard a noise.

Roar!!!*

“What was that?”

“Sea, stay in the car.” (Coy)

Before I could do anything, he grabbed Shinusame, got out, and closed the door. His face was the most serious I had seen it since I first laid eyes on him. But what’s going on? All I could do was look out the windows. And then… I saw it. It was a bear, but nothing like I had ever seen. It’s big, but that’s a given. It’s fur… was as red as blood. And.. is it wearing bones for armor? What is it? Wait… I saw it’s picture in one of the books I was reading back in the Devil King’s castle. It’s a creature from a bygone era in this world, a Gore Grizzly. They get their names from the fact that they kill others of their kind and use the bones for armor. The ‘gore’ part of their name comes from the aftermath of when they attack. And… because they look gory in appearance due to the bone armor and fur color.

“Are you seriously going to fight that!?”

But all Coy did was smirk and drew Shinusame from his back. As he readied him self, all I could do was worry. Gore Grizzlies are not simple brutes, they are some of the most cunning creatures according to the books. Not to mention fast, which is probably why Coy didn’t just start the car and floor it. Did he know what it was already?

“Don’t think that you can look down on me!” (Coy)

Coy then charged.

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(Coy POV)

Just what the hell am I thinking!? I’m charging at a Gore Grizzly! My animal instincts are telling me to run, but my rationality is telling me that it’s futile to do so. However, I know that this is all I can do. Not even Lobo would be this crazy, and that dumb wolf would take on anything to prove his strength. Forget crazy, this is suicide! But… I promised that girl in the car that I would protect her. The damned beast is charging at me as well, eh? Let’s see how it likes to taste my steel!

As I went for a diagonal slash, it countered with it’s claws. So it’s as cunning as the stories say? It then tried to hit me with it’s own slash from it’s claws.

Cling*

I blocked it, but damn is it strong. It then attacked again, and again, and again. Damn, it has me on the defensive. I keep blocking because it had no openings. I’m as good as dead if it lands a blow. It’s claws, those things are strong. I knew if I didn’t defeat it, it would open the car like a can of tuna. And Sea, she’s the tuna that it would eat. And now, it had me backing up as it attacked and I defended. And then… the end of the road. My back is against a tree.

The Gore Grizzly then laughed as it took what was about to be the final strike. But what it didn’t expect, I dodged it at the last second and it hit the tree. With that, I was given an opening and did a thrust from behind. It was a hit, I stabbed it and ran my blade through until it was at the guard. Problem, it turned around and my left side was hit with it’s powerful arm. I flew a few yards, and felt some ribs break.

When it faced me again, I could see where the tip of my blade was. Just a few inches of it pierced through the beast’s chest. All I could do was tough it through the pain and get back up. I was feeling like crap, but I couldn’t lose to this thing. I had to protect Sea, no matter what. I then opened my inventory to pull out a health potion. As the old saying goes, the best medicines taste the worst. Not to mention that with my nose, I could smell it too. However, I could feel some of the pain start to fade.

“You can break my bones, you can spill every last drop of my blood… but I will never fall to a damned bear!”

In truth, we coyotes don’t really have a sense of pride like wolves do. However, I am a half-man. Not to mention that one of my parents were human.

The Gore Grizzly then shot me a smirk. And then… it did something that I forgot were in the stories.

Whoosh*

That was ‘Spada di Vento’, a wind spell that cuts like a very sharp sword. I was barely able to, but I dodged it. The ground where I stood before, it looked like it was cut by a large blade. So it’s using magic now? Well, it’s not the only one who can. I then held my hand out in front of it.

“Fulmine esplosivo!”

It was a lightning spell I picked up. The Gore Grizzly was shocked by the attack, and the fact that my sword was still piercing it made it more effective. I could see the beast fall to it’s knees, but I wasn’t going to stop there. The spell I used earlier was payback for the one that almost hit me. No, I still had to pay it back for hitting me with that massive arm.

“Hey dumb bear, your time’s up!”

I then ran at it. It was looking dazed and confused, but I wasn’t going to cut it any slack. When I got close enough, I jumped and kicked. The bottom of my foot connected, and the skull it was wearing as it’s helmet flew off as the rest of it’s head was crushed in from the impact. The match was over, I won.

“Coy-kun!” (Sea)

The darn girl had ignored what I told her and got out of the car. Before I could say anything, I fell over. Even though the heath potion healed some of my wounds, it wasn’t strong enough to fully fix me.

“Coy-kun, are you alright?” (Sea)

I could see that she was worried about me. Tears started to fall from those black eyes of hers behind those glasses. Man, did she look cute.

“I’ll be fine… just some broken ribs. I’ve had worse.”

“You idiot!” (Sea)

She then hit me on top of my head.

“Ouch! That hurt!”

“That’s what you get for making me worry!” (Sea)

Even though there was still tears running down her face, she looked a little mad.

“All right… I’m sorry.”

“Just don’t be doing something stupid like that alone again, all right?” (Sea)

“But… I said that I’d protect you.”

“I don’t care!” (Sea)

“But… what about keeping your identity a secret, Sea?”

“For starters, it would help if you called me Yuki when I’m in this form. And second, we have to look out for one another.” (Sea)

She had me on both accounts there.

“Fine… I’ll never face a boss level monster alone again.”

“Good. I don’t want to lose my bodyguard.” (Sea)

That’s what this was about? Did she not care about me as a person? Ugh… I will never understand women.

“Now that we got that settled… mind getting my sword out of the Gore Grizzly?”

“What?” (Sea)

“I need a little more time to rest before my body will let me get back up.”

“But… is it really safe?” (Sea)

Man… she is just too cute when she’s scared and confused.

“Unless it can survive having it’s skull caved-in, it’s safe.”

I could see that she didn’t want to do it, but I needed a little while before I could get back up. In truth, it was cute to see her try to pull Shinusame out of the Gore Grizzly. It took all of her might, but she got the sword out. I could easily tell that she never held a sword before, the weight was making her arms tremble a little.

“Here.” (Sea)

She then handed me the sword. I grabbed a handkerchief and wiped the blood from the blade before sheathing it. After that, I slowly got up.

“Whoa…”

“Are you all right?” (Sea)

“I’ll be fine… I gotta collect the Gore Grizzly’s remains.”

“What?” (Sea)

“When you defeat an actual monster, you need to collect materials from it.”

“But… shouldn’t we get out of here? Shouldn’t there be others?” (Sea)

“Nah, I can’t smell any other living creatures than us right now.”

“What?” (Sea)

“Don’t forget, I have a great sense of smell. Besides, from what little I know of Gore Grizzlies, they are extremely territorial. I can only guess that it drove the other beasts of these parts away? Either way, we should be safe.”

“Then… is there anything I can do?” (Sea)

“See if you can collect some dry wood. We’re going to need a fire regardless. Not to mention… I don’t think you can handle me collecting the materials from the Gore Grizzly.”

She then had a shocked look on her face.

“Okay… I’ll just start by looking for wood from the other side of the car…” (Sea)

What do you know? She even looks a little cute when stunned.

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(Sea POV)

Well… at least he’s considerate for an idiot. Still, I had to keep my curiosity at bay and collect the firewood. However… he could had probably died from fighting that thing. I will admit that seeing both him and the Gore Grizzly use magic did surprise me. And using a lightning spell with his sword still in the beast… that was actually smart. Maybe I shouldn’t judge him too much? I do wonder, is it the snaggle-tooth that causes me to think he could do something stupid? In most manga and anime, it’s usually the character with a snaggle-tooth that is the most likely to do something unexpected.

After I filled my arms, I went back to the car. Coy was already waiting for me… with a lit cigarette in his mouth? Alright, now it’s time to be judgemental.

“Hey, I got the firewood. Oh, you shouldn’t smoke.”

“Why?” (Coy)

“Because it’s bad for your health. And… I don’t like it.”

“Too bad.” (Coy)

“Huh?”

“Look, it’s the only thing that calms me down these days. I’m not sure if you know this, but fighting monsters is very stressful. Besides… I just fought something that’s supposed to be extinct. So cut me a little slack, okay?” (Coy)

He is really frustrating me. I don’t care if he has a point or not, someone smoking at his age is just wrong.

“Just don’t do it too often, okay?”

“Whatever…” (Coy)

Now he’s even more frustrating.

“Anyway, where do you want this wood?”

“Just set it down where ever you want. I gotta at least make a stone circle first.” (Coy)

With that, he started collecting stones and making a circle. After he was done with that, he grabbed some dry leaves and some paper from his his pocket before lighting it with a match. Slowly he would add more wood before the fire was decent. I do have to admit, at least he’s experienced in these things.

“So… what now?”

He smirked before opening his inventory window and pulled out a couple of cans, a big knife, and two forks. I was a little surprised when he used the knife to open one. He then handed one to me with a fork in it. To my surprise… it was peaches.

“It’s not much, but we can’t go on without food in our stomachs.” (Coy)

He then opened the other one for himself. All I could really do was eat the peaches handed to me. Still, I was surprised on the lack of surprise about canned peaches. I did know that guns and cars existed in what was supposed to be a fantasy world. Just… am I getting used to what should be disappointment? I just didn’t know anymore. But after I was done eating, I tried to converse with him.

“So… what’s our next move?”

“Wait… you had me take you away from the Devil King’s castle and you didn’t even think about what our next move is?” (Coy)

He had me there.

“Well… all I knew is that I didn’t want to stay there. Other than forced to go to meetings with officials, give speeches to encourage the people to fight, and just be a figurehead… all that I could do was learn how to read this world’s language and then read books. I really wanted to escape and have an adventure. But now that I’m free… I don’t know what to do next.”

“I see.” (Coy)

“Huh?”

“Well… I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I do think I know of a way for you to have an adventure. Don’t forget, my mission was to end the war. With what you told me before we left the castle, my mission is not yet complete. So let’s figure out a way to end the mission, all right?” (Coy)

Wow… he is a lot sharper than I gave him credit for. Still… a way to end the war? With what I recall… his side didn’t know the truth behind the Demon Realm. Wait… that’s it!

“We need to see the pope.”

“Wait… what?” (Coy)

“You say those words a lot, don’t you Coy-kun?”

“Well… I do. Still, why her holiness?” (Coy)

“Because she’s the religious leader on your side. Isn’t the church the ones in charge of the crusade against the Demon Realm?”

“Well… yeah.” (Coy)

“See? If we can tell her the truth about everything, we might just have a way to end this war.”

“Hold your horses, how does telling her about the Devil King only being a figurehead and that there’s a prime minister pulling the strings end this war?” (Coy)

I take it back, he’s a lot duller than I just gave him credit for.

“The Deity.”

“The Deity?” (Coy)

“Yeah, she doesn’t know that the Demon Realm also worships the Deity. Believe it or not, it was the Deity who chose me to be the Devil King. And that maid who served the tea, she’s actually a shrine maiden for the Deity. If we can settle our differences, the war can end. It’s not simple, that’s a given. But it’s worth a shot.”

It’s true, just by revealing the truth won’t be enough to end the war. But… there’s nothing else I could come up with. Besides, the misunderstandings between the church and the Demon Realm could be what the Deity told me about when it came to the imbalance when I was chosen.

“Basically saying… she’s a shrine maid?” (Coy)

Are you serious!?

“Is coming up with a pun for the maid all you can think of!?”

“Hey, I thought it was good. Still… the Deity actually spoke to you?” (Coy)

“Yeah… didn’t the Deity speak to you too?”

“Miss Yuki… I think we need to tell each other our back stories before we go any further?” (Coy)

He had a point. I mean… the Deity actually spoke to me before sending me here. But why not the Hero who was chosen in this world? So we passed the time for a bit telling each other our stories of how we got chosen for our roles. He was a little surprised about the maid being my friend Kimiko from my world and how she got there in the first place. As for his back story… I had my fill of surprises as well. Especially of his adventure before starting his journey.

“So you rescued a mermaid princess while you were still a gangster. And she wanted you to marry her?”

“Sadly… yes. It’s not that I wanted to win her heart or anything. I was only following my boss’ orders. Nothing more and nothing less.” (Coy)

I was starting to wonder if my role was part of the harem route instead of main heroine. Even being his gun moll was better than that.

“Still… can I see the picture of you and your sister?”

“Here.” (Coy)

He then threw me a pocket watch. I opened it, but naturally went to look at the time. Then I remembered, it was set for his hometown. I then looked at the picture in side. I will admit, they looked similar. Despite Coy having his animal ears, you could tell that they were twins. It was amazing how adorable Coy looked as a child with that snaggle-tooth. Still… it was more amazing how he and his sister were rare when it came to twins according to what he told me. I then threw him back the pocket watch.

“So the pope said that she would help you find her?”

“Yeah… sort of my reward for finishing my quest. I don’t really care about fortune or fame. To be honest, just finding her would be enough for me. But since it was the church that took her, her holiness is the one who can find her.” (Coy)

“To be honest… I want to meet her.”

“Her holiness?” (Coy)

“Your sister.”

“Well… since we’re going to be traveling together, I’m sure you can meet her.” (Coy)

“Yeah… to be honest, I always wanted a sister.”

“Really?” (Coy)

“I was born an only child. According to my parents, it was a miracle that I could be born. When the doctors told my mother that the possibility of getting pregnant was hopeless, they gave up hope. But by some miracle, I was born. So there you go.”

“Funny, that’s what the nuns who raised me said about me and my sister’s case. That one of us being born human was a miracle. I guess it doesn’t matter what world you’re from, life is a funny thing?” (Coy)

“I guess so?”

It was amazing how we were talking about this. You would think that we were old friends by the way we were conversing. Then in image of Coy wearing my school’s male uniform popped into my head. I will admit that picturing him wearing a gakuran did make me want to giggle. But it also made me wonder, would things had been different for him if he grew up in my world as well? I mean, he was my age and already smoking and a gangster. An outdated kind of gangster, but still one. If he had grown up in my world, he would probably be worrying about finals and college admission exams instead of dying young. But would he even had been in Japan? Let alone in my school? There is no way of ever knowing.

“Oh… I just remembered something.” (Coy)

“Huh?”

“That Gore Grizzly. Believe it or not, it was old.” (Coy)

“You could tell?”

That really caught me off guard. I don’t know if it was my train of thought about him growing up in my world or not, but it wasn’t expected.

“Yeah… Gore Grizzlies are proud and strong creatures from the stories I heard. Or they were as they’re supposed to be extinct. Even past Heroes have fallen to the likes of them. But that one… it’s movements were slow. And from our fight, I could tell that it wanted me to win.” (Coy)

“Wait… it wanted to die?”

Finally, I was getting surprised again.

“When you fight, you can communicate from how you fight. It’s something that can’t be explained, it’s something that just is. I could tell from it’s blows that it wanted to die a warrior’s death. For all we know, it could had been the last of it’s kind? I can only guess that it was in these woods hoping for the ultimate opponent, the one strong enough to give it the last fight it wanted. This way, it could join it’s fellow Gore Grizzlies without regrets.” (Coy)

I don’t know why, but my opinion of Coy keeps changing. There are times where he surprises me on how sharp he is and times on how dense. It’s like he gets things and he doesn’t. Just what kind of guy did the Deity choose to be my opposite? It’s one that would have to wait for a later date as he handed me a blanket and told me that we should get moving as soon as dawn breaks. I didn’t like the thought of sleeping outdoors, but this would be my exception. It was nice to get to know the man I gave myself to a little better. Now… just what will happen down the road? No one knows.

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