The 12th episode of Deep of Muscle. Resurrection of Sunshine 〜The Birth of the Cursed Roller〜
Machine translated and revised by GuratoGurato
Original Japanese episode provided by Gunnar Iron
The following is a fan-translation of the Japanese content.
Summary
The events that unfold the week before the Universal Tag Tournament, leading to Sunshine eventually acquiring his "Cursed Roller". Featuring the Stray Devil Chojin Combo.
Story[]
Chapter 1[]
Part 1[]
【Prologue】
Sunshine, a chojin incarnate of sand, stands at the head of the Six Devil Knights.
While he excels at power plays that make full use of his huge 3-meter body, he can also take advantage of the characteristics provided by sand as a raw material, fighting by showing his dexterity in various body configurations.
He was feared as a versatile sand monster, but in a crucial battle with the Justice Chojin Legion, he was defeated by Geronimo, who was not a chojin at the time, but an ordinary human...
Although he suffered such a humiliating defeat, he had not yet died there. Immediately after his battle with Geronimo, he and his ally Ashuraman, who was also the leader of the Six Devil Knights, vowed to take revenge against the justice chojin at the Universal Tag Tournament, held after the fierce battle between Kinnikuman and Akuma Shogun.
Entering the fray once again, they were revived as the "Stray Devil Chojin Combo"!
There, he once more blossomed as the world's most fearsome devil chojin... Notably, at this time, he was much more powerful than before, with mutations seen in various areas.
His most distinctive feature is the "Cursed Roller," a newly acquired super special move.
In the past, he had a key part that was the pivotal element to his transformation, embedded in the sun mark on his chest. But later, in secret, he changed the position of the key component. Instead, he has embedded a giant roller in his chest, a new weapon of terror.
But how did Sunshine manage to acquire such a tremendous device and great skill in such a short period of time?
In fact, it had something to do with a fateful encounter he had on an international trip to train as a warrior, just before participating in the tournament!
This story takes place after Ashuraman and Sunshine, two of the Devil Knights, have decided to leave their master, Akuma Shogun, and enter the Universal Tag Tournament.
This episode begins with the use of a devil's secret technique. As a preliminary maneuver for their participation in the tournament, they discreetly swipe the hearts of friendship from the justice chojin, sealing those stolen souls in the cursed miniature dolls of each, which lie inside the small box of betrayal that they had created themselves.
Part 2[]
"Ka~ kakakaka! Now their teamwork, the source of their power, is in shambles! The friendship between justice chojin is a fragile thing, you know, Sunshine!"
"Oh yeah, Ashuraman! However, this is just what one would expect from the man they call the prince of the demon world. The strategies you come up with are so outrageous that it makes me feel good! Guoh-foh-foh-fo!"
"Hmph, that's the highest praise for us devils."
It has been a few days after the end of the chojin war between the righteous and the demonic.
Ashuraman and Sunshine, taking advantage of the momentary peace that the justice chojin were enjoying, had come up with an unprecedented plan to steal the hearts of their friendship by casting a curse. And now, they have succeeded in doing so, looking down on the ground from far above, discussing such things with each other.
"Well, anyway, they will soon fall out of favor, and at the next tournament, they'll become tag teams of two each, fighting each other. We have nothing to fear from justice chojin who've lost their friendship. It'll be us devil chojin who will take advantage of the chaos and seize the championship title! Ka~ kah-kah-ka!"
"True, once you take away the mysterious underlying power of friendship from them, the rest is purely a contest of strength. You and I both competed for the strongest position among the elite devil chojin army. If the two of us work together, I don't think we can be beaten by anyone else. I have full confidence in your abilities... but that's just it..."
“Hmm, what's up Sunshine? What's bugging you?"
Sunshine, who had also been laughing, suddenly turned serious and said, "Guo... Ashuraman, I'll be honest with you! I'm feeling deeply ashamed of myself right now. I was feared as the strongest devil chojin just like you, but in the last battle, I was defeated by Geronimo, a mere human being. To be sincere, this humiliation is unbearable..."
Sunshine held his head in an expression of anguish.
But Ashuraman, grinning at the thought of such a thing, gave him a mischievous scolding.
"Humph, that's because fools let their guard down! Kah~ kah-kah-kah-ka! But I know better than anyone that that wasn't your ability, regardless of the result. Don't worry about it too much."
Sunshine, however, was a man of great pride, a strong sense of responsibility, and above all, he was a man of earnestness. There was no way he would be satisfied with such words of consolation.
"Sorry Ashura... but I really can't forgive myself! Above everything else, because of that defeat, the existence of my most top-secret key part is now known. If I don't do something about it, I could be dragging you down. I'm so angry at myself that I just can't handle it..."
"Kakakaka, that's just like you, to be so fucking serious. So, what do you wanna do about it?"
"Let's be frank. Can you give me a week from now? I want to travel the world alone and redo my warrior training. In the process, I want to strengthen myself, overcome my weaknesses, and regain my true confidence as one of the top two devil chojin, together with you!"
Ashuraman whistled a hoot and said, with a droll expression on his face,
"Hou, so that's how it's going to be! Well, I have no use for you as you are now. I don't know if you're gonna spar with elephants in Africa or play with anacondas in the Amazon, but I'll see you in exactly one week. Make sure you make it back to this place in time. Okay?"
"I owe you, buddy! I'm sure in a week we'll be able to..."
"Keh, still such a pathetic thing to say. Before you leave, let me ask you the usual question. Do you know why I chose you as my partner?"
As a matter of fact, Ashuraman and Sunshine were a famous duo who had been tag-teaming in hell for a long time. Before every match, Ashuraman would ask Sunshine the same question. And how Sunshine would respond to that question was always the same.
"Guoh-fo-fo-fo, it's because I'm stronger than you!"
"Kah~ kah-kah-ka! Stupid, you're wrong today! But, never forget that delusion of grandeur!"
"I'm going to beat you in a singles match one day and prove it to you, so be prepared! See you in a week, buddy!"
"Oh, I'll be waiting for you without any expectations; seeya later, you big jerk!"
Sunshine turned to sand and was blown away by the wind, being carried somewhere far away. Ashuraman, who watched the whole thing, murmured in a whisper.
"Keh, get a grip. Y'know I still trust you, bud..."
As he gazed up at the sky, Ashuraman's eyes had a somewhat tender light in them that he would never show in the ring.
Though, the only one who knew his eyes was the sun...
Part 3[]
A few hours later, Sunshine arrived in the middle of a vast desert under the scorching sun.
This is Saudi Arabia, a country in the Middle East. He has drifted to the center of the Rub' al-Khali Desert, which stretches across the southern part of the country.
The vast desert, which occupies about one-third of the Arabian Peninsula, stretches approximately 1,000 km from east to west and is dotted with many of the world's largest oil fields and towns in the surrounding areas. However, there really is nothing in the center of this vast desert except endless dunes, making it extremely dangerous to enter.
The temperature rises to nearly 55 degrees Celsius during the day but drops to below freezing late at night due to radiative cooling, and the climate difference during a single day is harsh.
Sunshine traveled so far to arrive at this location, but why on earth did he come?
Needless to say, it was to start all over again. To start from scratch in his training as a sand chojin.
In the middle of the Rub' al-Khali Desert, was a sand prison created by Mother Nature from which no one would ever leave alive. He has come here to remember the horror of the sand, and to regain his pride as the self-proclaimed guardian of the sand prison, as well as to cultivate his skills and new ideas for tormenting his enemies.
"Guoh-foh-foh-fo! This is it, this endless feeling of emptiness! The fear that maybe I'd never get out of here, and I'd just have to slump down and die! There's nothing but sand, but I feel an overwhelming sense of intimidation from something else I can't see!
To create this through the sand of my body, a leisurely attitude like that of the Rub' al-Khali Desert is indispensable above all! This aura, which I cannot create now that I have been defeated by humans and can't hide my agitation, is what I've been looking for—!"
Sunshine shouted and happily blended in with the vast desert sand, melting into, becoming dunes, dancing in the wind, and then bursting forth again as a tsunami and spreading out. Like a child who has come to the summer sea for a swim, he regains his sandy instincts and frolics around.
However, the current time is just a little past noon, when the temperature reaches its highest point. The unbearable scorching heat of hell soon came relentlessly, even upon this desert's fellow countryman, Sunshine.
Of course, it's easy for Sunshine, a sandman, to endure a little heat. However, there was one element that even he found insufferable.
It was the fact that being here would mean all of his moisture would be completely absorbed, lost.
Even though Sunshine is made entirely of sand, he is still a chojin organism, and as long as he is constantly performing some kind of life activity inside his body, he still needs a minimum amount of water. However, in this location, it can be tough to find even a small amount of water. Because there is no shade, there is nowhere to hide. And since the ground is not soil but sand, it's not even possible to dig a hole.
"Guo... This is absolutely unbearable! isn't there any water... anywhere?"
But as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but dunes in this pale tan land. Not a single human being, not even a trace of anything resembling life, could be seen.
At this rate, he was in a real pinch.
Sunshine, as expected, decided to get out of the desert and soar into the sky again. The desert seemed abandoned, but as he looked around from the sky, he saw what appeared to be three human figures at the top of a dune about 7 to 8 kilometers from there.
"A small group of people stumbling into a place like this... Are they insane? Guoh-foh-foh!"
Putting himself on the sidelines, Sunshine decided to rush to that place where he could see the figures, anyway. He was thinking about if he had anything good to share with them, or if he should just threaten them instead.
──to be continued...
Chapter 2[]
Part 1[]
If Sunshine dexterously catches the wind from above and rides it, he could reach a distance of 7 to 8 km in a matter of minutes.
When he approached them, he was very bewildered.
He was surprised to find that these three were neither human nor animal, but were, in fact, chojin of the same shape as himself. Moreover, one and two of them seemed to be fighting with each other.
"Guh, what a wicked man he must be to rather be divided into two groups instead of cooperating in such an extreme situation, as one of them fights alone. Guoh-foh-foh-fo, I, the more villainous of the two, will have to break in and defeat both sides, and if they have any water or anything else, I'll take it from them."
It isn't surprising that Sunshine thought so. The first two were chojin with the appearance of hoodlums. They must've been bandits who repeatedly preyed on those who wander into this area.
The other chojin was a rare type, whose torso was a giant roller. He stood there with a blank expression on his face, not changing his color against the two thugs.
Sunshine felt some discomfort in the fact that this roller-guy was strangely calm and collected compared to the two cheap-looking criminals, although he was probably the one being attacked here.
The mystery of his discomfort was soon solved.
First, one of the two thugs approached the roller-man and tried to grab him by the chest. Suddenly, the huge roller on the roller-man's chest began to spin wildly, and the thug was grabbed with both hands and pushed head-first into the working rollers on his torso.
"Curse you, the Secret of the Desert Roller: Dehydration Squeeze—!"
"Gaaaahhh——!"
With a shrill cry, the thug was caught between the rollers. His blood, sweat, and other bodily fluids unceasingly pour out both sides of the roller as he becomes more and more entangled. In the desert, this "water" was a precious thing.
Sunshine gulped at the sight.
Eventually, the roller-man's back ejected a flabby, dried-up goon. It was like a piece of shriveled-up waste that had been deprived of all the water in its body. He was probably dead. What a cruel sight.
And the man who committed such atrocities, the roller-man, seemed unperturbed. He appeared to be slurping down the bodily fluids of the thug he took from the other with a cool, natural look on his face.
"That roller-guy, what a guy..."
Sunshine was deeply intrigued by the cold-heartedness of the situation.
Meanwhile, the other ruffian, who was just watching the whole thing, was so terrified that he turned his back and tried to make a mad dash for it! But this was the middle of the desert. His legs were caught and his speed was insignificant even at full acceleration.
On the other hand, the roller-man who began to chase him had layed down on his side and started to follow the fleeing man, using the roller as a wheel to level the ground. And how fast he was!
In no time at all, the other thug was captured and easily fell prey to the roller. His entire body was drained of water and he died.
The roller-man, who had killed the two thugs, began to gulp down the bodily fluids he had just drained, with a look of righteousness on his face.
But Sunshine, who was watching, was also extremely thirsty. Partly because he was curious about this man's fighting style, and partly because he simply wanted to siphon off some of the water.
Sunshine once again took on his chojin form and swooped down from the sky, standing in front of the roller-man after having landed with a thud!
"Guoh-foh-foh-fo, my name is Sunshine! I was watching the fight earlier, and I thought it was pretty amusing, I loved it! But I'm thirsty too. So, if you don't mind, can I have some of that water you were just about to drink?"
But the roller-man's response was as cold as ever. Still unmoved, he turned to Sunshine, who had unexpectedly appeared.
"What about you? You want this water? Then try and take it by force. Bet you can't."
"Ridiculous! Who the hell do you think you are! Don't underestimate Sunshine, Keeper of the Sands, one of the Six Devil Knights!"
With those words, Sunshine rammed into the roller-man!
But he was waiting for him and began to spin his roller violently. Just as he had done earlier with the thug, he caught Sunshine's head firmly in both hands and pushed it into the roller in his torso!
"Wheeeeennn—!"
Sunshine's body was being dug into the groaning roller... but the roller-man showed his impatience for the first time when the water did not come out as usual.
That was no wonder, because, just before Sunshine was caught up in the roller, he had united his body and transformed into silky sand!
Only a large amount of the silty sand is ejected from behind the roller-man.
And the moment all of his sand is ejected, Sunshine joins together again, assuming his original form.
As he was, he gripped the roller-man from behind and threw him far back with a throwaway German suplex!
Part 2[]
Eventually, the roller-man, still lying down, activated the roller again and pulled back to Sunshine at breakneck speed, leveling the ground!
Sunshine prepared himself to see what kind of attack he would show him this time, but the roller-man jumped up and stood upright in front of him, and his outstretched right fist was filled with...!
"Drink up. You're thirsty, aren't you?"
A glass of water was held in his hand.
Sunshine, thirsty, accepted it without hesitation and gulped it down in one long swig.
"So good! After all, the blood of a freshly dead chojin is the best!"
But, what sort of wind was blowing? Wasn't he just provoking him to take it by force? As if to answer this question, the roller-man spoke up.
"My name is Rollerman. I'm a brutal chojin who, when he finds his prey here in the desert of Saudi Arabia, squeezes the water out of them like earlier, keeping my throat moist with their living blood. By the way, you're Sunshine, the Devil's Sixth Knight, right?"
"Ah, you knew?"
"I did, you were all over the news until the other day, weren't you? I was given a chance to see how good you are, and I must say, your high-angle German, which looked as if it was dropped from the second floor, really would have been a disaster if you'd been able to do it in a proper ring, without any distractions."
"Guoh-foh-foh-fo, I've lost count of the number of chojin I've sent to their graves with that technique!"
"I felt a glimpse of the horror from it, so I accepted defeat and offered water. As one would expect from the leader of the Devil Knights, you have a different kind of skill."
Sunshine was honestly happy to be praised by others for the first time in a while after being in a depressed state recently. He was also in a somewhat better mood, and he began to speak candidly to the roller-man in front of him.
"Actually, I'm here on a training trip. If you've been following the news recently, you know that I lost to Geronimo the other day. I've lost so much confidence in myself because of that. I have to learn some new special technique... I have to conquer my weakness... Ever since that day, I've been living under such an intense obsession. I came to this desert land to shake that off and get back to my roots."
"Oh, so did you find anything that could help you get out of that slump?"
Sunshine smiled at Rollerman's question and replied,
"Yeah, I found it, just now!"
"Just now?"
At the same time Sunshine said those words, he pointed to the giant roller on Rollerman's chest.
"That roller is a pretty destructive force. I'm impressed."
"Hmm? You mean me?"
"Yeah, that's right. Actually, I've been completely hooked on that roller since a while ago. It isn't just a deadly weapon. It's used to secure water for survival, or as a wheel to move around on bad terrain, and it contains the wisdom of the desert-dwelling brutal chojin. Isn't it full of identity and pride?"
"Well, I'm certainly proud of this roller, hehe!"
"Yes, and this is exactly the sense of pride that I'm missing!"
After that, Sunshine turned to Rollerman and declared in a very loud voice.
"Rollerman, I have a favor to ask of you! Could you teach me the secret art of the desert roller, from how to use it, to how to operate it effectively?"
Rollerman was puzzled by the sudden proposal. A chojin in the position of a leader of the Devil Chojin was asking him, a simple country chojin with no name, to put his pride aside and teach him.
Rollerman looked the other man in the eye once again. It didn't seem like he was teasing him or making an off-the-cuff remark.
His eyes were pure. He's a devil, but a strange one.
"All right then! If you're that serious about it, I'll pound all the roller technology I have into you! Be ready!"
"Thanks! Well, let's start training tomorrow! I don't have much time."
However, despite this promise, Rollerman was left with one big question.
"But you, what about the crucial part, the roller? You don't have one like mine built into your chest, do you?"
"Yeah, I have some ideas there. Hey, I'll have it ready for you tomorrow. Just wait and see, okay?"
With these words, Sunshine once again became separate silky grains of sand, soaring high into the sky and disappearing into the eastern air.
──to be continued...
Chapter 3[]
Part 1[]
The next day, at the same time, Sunshine returned to the same spot where Rollerman was waiting. To the latter's surprise, a huge roller was already attached to his chest.
"What's up with that roller!? How could you do that in just one day!"
"Guoh-foh-foh-fo! After yesterday, I flew east to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and got two huge rollers to use for leveling the ground. These rollers are as big and menacing as your rollers!"
It was indeed a fine roller, in terms of size. But there was a larger problem.
"Sunshine, but that roller... Could it possibly be made of steel?"
"Mmm, yes, that's right. It's a steel roller of dread, capable of shattering even the sturdiest of flesh."
Hearing this, Rollerman suddenly dropped his shoulders in disappointment.
"What's wrong? Did I do something?"
"No, but, you're going to use this to squirt sweat and blood, aren't you? So, if it's made of steel, won't it rust quickly?"
"Oh... ahhh—!"
“No, well, as long as it is well maintained, it should be fine to some extent, but even so, there's no denying the possibility that the shaft will rust and stop functioning when the time comes, and if you continue to forcefully wind large pieces of rust around the rollers, strange gaps will form and eventually, its power will be reduced by half. But that's not a big problem, the bigger problem is...!"
But Sunshine, not wanting to hear such negativity, forcefully interrupted him.
"Well, wait a minute! I don't have any time to get a new roller. We have to go with this! Oh, please don't do this to me, come on!"
This is quite the rush... Understanding this, Rollerman decided to switch to a method of demonstrating through practice, rather than words.
"...I understand. Then let's start training right away. First, could you try one of your best transformations, something you're good at, right here?"
"Hmm? Doesn't seem to have anything to do with rollers directly, but oh well. Now, let's go, the Pyramid of Hell—!"
It was at that moment when Sunshine became a pyramid, and there was a loud thud. Sunshine looked down and he was astonished. Two huge rollers had tumbled to the ground.
"Oh, uh... ahhhh—, it's that simple, huh... Hey, why didn't I see that coming!?"
"Do you understand, Sunshine, that this is what actually happens when you just embed a borrowed roller? Obviously, with a different substance than what your body is made of, it can't be incorporated into you, it becomes a completely different part. Then it comes to this. Every time you transform, it drops with a thud, and then it has to be reattached when you return to your original form."
"Damn it—! This is useless! I thought this was a good idea!"
To Sunshine's chagrin, however, Rollerman chuckled and offered new advice.
"Nope, there's no way to counteract that."
"What the hell!? What do we do?"
"Well that's your specialty, reconstructing, and you could even elaborately build up the roller part with sand! That way they won't separate every time you transform, right?"
Indeed it is. If he could morph himself into anything, it was surely easy enough to turn a part of his body into a roller.
Sunshine, however, had a touch of apprehension.
"Mmm, well, you have a point. There's nothing I can't do. But actually, in order to stabilize my elaborate deformation patterns, I need to do a great deal of image training."
He continued, "For example, in the case of my Pyramid of Hell that I mentioned earlier, I spent about three months in Egypt, diving into the pyramids every day and thoroughly studying their structures. And, it was only when I spent time feeling like I was the pyramid itself, that I was able to consistently transform into a certain shape. Therefore, although no one notices it, the inside of my body during my pyramid form, from the secret passage to the coffin room, is perfectly recreated as it was in the Great Pyramid of King Khufu. Otherwise, I wouldn't be satisfied—! Guoooo..."
This Sunshine fellow seemed so bold and open-minded, but how much of a nervous wreck was he really? Rollerman could not contain his impulsion at the unexpected confession of his obsession.
"You don't have to be that particular about any of it... That's... That's just too damn good to be true."
"No, no, look. If I used the word 'transform' to make a half-hearted attempt at resembling a deformation, I would be tarnishing my signature as an artisan of transfiguration. If I don't have everything perfectly figured out before I deform, I'd immediately undo that transformation in a moment of weakness!"
"Well, the Arc de Triomphe of Hell, however, doesn't seem like it was reproduced in the same way as the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Elysées in Paris, in terms of the detailed statues on its surface..."
Flinch...
And Rollerman did not miss the angry cramp in Sunshine's shoulder. Then, angry rebuttals flooded Sunshine's mouth!
"Ah, that was on purpose! If I wanted to, I could've accurately made it look like a perfect Arc de Triomphe, from the statues on the surface to the patterns on the rooftop! But I didn't, because... you know, there's all sorts of adult things to consider in this world!"
At this rate, if he didn't convince himself to agree for the time being, his life would be at stake. With such a sense of urgency, Rollerman decided to drop the subject early.
"I understand how you feel. So, if you insist, why don't we study the roller's structure, put ourselves in the roller's mindset, and aim to create the perfect roller. How long do you think that'll take?"
"Hmm, well, based on my experience, it'll take at least a month. But due to circumstances, I only have a week to spare. I don't know if I can do it..."
"Can do!"
"That's irresponsible, isn't it..."
"No, come on, what's the holdup? You are a genius at deformation, aren't you? You're the leader of the Devil Knights, after all. There's nothing you can't do, no, you can do it, you just have to do it!"
"Gumu, you're right. If you think you can't do it, then it's game over. I'll do it. Mmm, come to think of it, Rollerman, you're quite the roller, huh? So if I know how you feel, I can complete the transformation into a roller, right?"
"That's right. So, for the next week, you're going to be living vicariously through me, sipping the fluids of the same prey, and staring into this desert with the same emotions... Yes, you've got to get into my mind!"
"Got it! Then, for one week from today, I'll be your valet. Guoh-foh-foh-fo, I look forward to working with you. Rollerman!"
"Mm-hmm, well, It's nice to have a friend in this lonely desert! The pleasures all mine!"
Part 2[]
For the next week, Sunshine and Rollerman became more than brothers, living together as one.
They woke up at the same time, preyed on the same victims with identical rollers, slurped the same blood together, did the same training at the same hour, went to bed at the same time, and so on...
Meanwhile, five or six days flew by, and Sunshine gradually began to understand the true nature of this Rollerman fellow.
Why is this man so kind to me, a stranger, despite the fact that he is a brutal chojin who's supposed to have a perverse nature? It must be because this man has been spending his days isolated, solitary, and far too lonely in this vast desert.
A roller-man who has no other way to live than to continue his cursed life, sipping the fresh blood of the prey crushed by the rollers on his chest. When such a man goes out to town, it's only natural that he'd be stoned and thrown out.
Yes, he has lived an incredibly lonely life, accepted by no one so far, and for decades in the Rub' al-Khali desert, where there's nothing to do.
However, for the first time in his life, a man came along and praised the roller on his chest, which was an abomination. That was me, Sunshine.
"I see, so that's why he's trying to teach me everything about the roller technique, which is his lifeline and greatest secret... Well, for the sake of his complete trust in me, I must do my best to perfect this secret art!"
With this in mind, Sunshine fell back into a deep sleep in the middle of the desert on a cold night, watching the happy sleeping face of Rollerman, who had fallen asleep earlier.
Finally, the morning of the seventh and final day arrived. When Sunshine woke up, however, strangely enough, Rollerman, who should always be by his side, was nowhere to be seen.
"Hm? Are you going to the bathroom or something?"
I tried calling out loudly, but there was no response whatsoever.
"I mean, today is the last day, so where've you gone..."
But when I suddenly looked to the north, however, I saw a long trail that extended to the end of the road, as if a roller had been dragged far out.
"What, you went out alone? But these footprints, which use rollers as wheels, mean that you've traveled quite a distance... No!"
I looked closely and realized. These roller marks were not made by the roller running on its own. These aggressive tracks were made by someone who'd been forcibly dragging them!
"This can't be right... Does this mean he was abducted!?"
Sunshine recalled that, to the north, there is a settlement populated by chojin and the livestock that Rollerman used to prey on.
"Ma... Maybe, the people there came for revenge... and took Rollerman away to punish him...?"
This isn't good! Today is the day Rollerman's supposed to teach me his secret technique as a total finish... No, more than anything else, my ally, Rollerman, who's been sleeping and eating with me for a week, might be in grave danger!
Sunshine unintentionally transformed into the roller-car form that Rollerman usually displayed, and drove in a northerly direction at full speed, following the trail of tracks in ruts he had been dragged through!
An hour later, he arrived at the northern village. Unfortunately, his bad premonition was right on the money.
Rollerman was pinned to an execution platform in the center of town, surrounded by an elite group of strong, justice chojin. The punishment was about to take place.
"Hey, Rollerman! Answer me, Rollerman!"
Sunshine spotted him from the vicinity of the town gate and, in a completely distraught state, shouted in a loud, dusky voice that pierced the sky.
Then, he swung his huge body and made a mad dash to the center of town. However, in Sunshine's path stood the town's neighborhood watch, a vigilante group made up of numerous justice chojin!
"No one will stand in the way of Rollerman's execution!"
"Get out of my way, you guys! Let me get through!"
"Not so fast! He is a felon who has terrorized this town for decades! Today is the day he will peacefully die here!"
There were about 30 enemies in front of him. Despite being outnumbered, he had no choice!
"Well then, I'll just kill you all! You will savor the true terror of Sunshine, feared as the leader of the Six Devil Knights! Uuuooooh—!"
There was no guarantee that he would make it out alive, but Sunshine was determined and jumped straight into the crossfire!
──To be continued...
Chapter 4[]
Part 1[]
"Uuuooooh—! First things first, let's go for the kill, Hell's Top—!"
Sunshine turned into a giant spinning top, whirling at breakneck speed and immediately sending several people scattered in the vicinity hurtling off into the distance!
"And I'm still going—!"
Then, just as one would have expected them to be broken into pieces, they all transformed into small pyramids! Numerous of these small ceramics with their sharp tips pointed toward the ground, rained down on the heads of the enemy legions in a hail of bullets!
"That's it, the Scattershot Pyramids of Hell—!"
"Guhaaaaahhhh—!"
This pierced the hearts of several more.
There followed a series of moves, such as Hell's Triumphant Arch, the Concrete Press-- carnal transformations including the 40-Gram Rocket Launcher and the Hellish Guillotine Drop, as well as grappling techniques like the Giant Swing and Mexican Stretch. It was truly a full-course tour of hell!
Sunshine, like a demonic deity, turned into a powder keg of wrath that could no longer be stopped by anyone...!
At the end of such a grand standoff, the town's vigilante group, which had been so countless, was left with only one leader-like figure.
The man asks the giant, furious Sunshine this question.
"What the hell are you... Why would you put your life on the line for such a despised person? If it weren't for him, everyone in this town would live in peace and happiness, but you're just a passing stranger, aren't you? Why do you stand in the way of our peace!"
But Sunshine, increasingly agitated by his words, raged on!
"Sure, he's probably caused you guys a lot of trouble! But haven't you guys pushed him to the edge and made him feel alone for so long? Then he's just as guilty as you guys, right? Do you have any idea how lonely he is—!?"
"Hmph, compared to the suffering of so many of us, one monster like that..."
"Huh—!? Because he's one person and there are so many of you, you think you can execute him by majority vote? Is that what you're saying!?"
But the leader of the vigilante group stood firm and said,
"Numbers are justice. If one sacrifice makes many happy, so be it."
With this one statement, Sunshine's patience had completely snapped! He was at his limit.
"People like you should never talk about justice! If that's the kind of justice you want... it may as well just disappear from this world—!"
Sunshine gripped the man with both hands and some gusto, vigorously opening the chest door. At last, the image of the roller transformation that had been warming up to this point had almost materialized. If he carried it out as is, the technique would surely be a success!
"Uuuooooh—! I can't stand it any longer! This is my new special move, the Secret of the Desert Roller: Dehydration Squeeze—!!"
"No... No... Not yet, it's too soon!"
Faintly, Rollerman's voice was heard, but that did not stop Sunshine, who had already made up his mind! As they were, the man's body was gradually swallowed into the roller!
"Gu... Guwaaaaah—!"
The man's body is pressed with a grinding sound, and all kinds of thick juices ooze out the sides of the rollers!
──to be continued...
Chapter 5[]
Part 1[]
"Guoh-fo-foh-fo! Isn't that perfect! At last, I've mastered a new special move—!"
At the moment Sunshine was almost certain of victory, there was a cracking sound of something breaking, and the roller's rotation slowed down.
The humming sound of the drive died down, and just when he thought it had finally come to a complete stop, the roller had completely disintegrated.
It was back to just being sand, and a big hole emptily opened in Sunshine's chest...
Pride caught him off guard, and the image of the roller faded a little in Sunshine's mind. As a result, the roller weakened in strength.
And unfortunately, the man who emerged from the roller had Sunshine's bare heart exposed right in front of him!
The man, with a fierce look on his face, aimed at turning the tables, and at that very moment, he was about to bite into it!
"Sunshine! Take this!"
Immediately after that voice, which echoed for a moment— he jerked!
And a new roller was set on Sunshine's chest from behind!? Not just that, it was a perfect fit, and much easier to handle than the previous one!
"Thank you! Resurrection, Dehydration Squeeze—!"
"Guwaaaaahhh—!"
Then it happened, just in the nick of time. At last, the man was completely swallowed by the swell of the newborn roller, his entire body being squeezed dry of fluid, and he died.
"Whew, that was a close one! You really are a true roller-man, I owe you for the support."
With that, Sunshine turned towards the voice behind him and yelled out with a shudder.
"Geh—! What the hell—!?"
The reason being, Rollerman, who had only lost his torso with his hands and ankles severed, was still crucified on the cross there.
"You... you, no way, you cut off your own torso... and made it a weapon for me...?"
Although he was left with only his head, Rollerman's brain was still alive. He was vomiting blood from his mouth, but trying desperately to spit out his last words.
"Su... Sunshine. You were the first chojin in my life who's ever... treated me kindly. This past week has been a blast, the best of my life..."
"Hey, don't die! Rollerman!"
"Hehe, I can't go on any longer. But... I was screwed after the execution anyway. So, I hope this roller will live on in you..."
"We're still okay! Let's live together, Rollerman!"
But ignoring Sunshine's words of comfort, Rollerman continued to speak.
"How do you like my roller...? It's made of concrete, the hardened desert sand. It's built from the same sand as your original material... so it won't separate when it transforms."
"Rollerman!"
"And in the past week... you seem to have completely understood my feelings... and the heart of this roller-man. And for you... mastering this roller... will be a piece of cake..."
"Rollerman!"
"Please, use that roller... to hit the righteous hypocrites in this world... with a true hammer of wrath... At least in my book, you are justice... Sunshine!"
Finally, with his last words, Rollerman was gone.
"Rollermaaaaan——!"
And then, in this northern town, there was no one left but Sunshine...
──to be continued...
Chapter 6[]
Part 1[]
"Rollerman. Your special move, the Body Fluid Dehydration Squeeze... I would like to call it the "Cursed Roller" and carry it on. We, proud devil chojin, will not tolerate half-baked big bads who put on a mask of righteousness and run amok in this world with their big, selfish faces. Let us show this corrupt world know how pure and sublime true evil really is, along with your regretful curse! Together, with my other ally, Ashuraman! Guo-foh-foh-fo! Guo-foh-foh-fo!"
With that declaration, Sunshine looked up at the still-crucified Rollerman, tears streaming down his cheeks as he laughed hysterically. He then dug a grave and buried him in the same hole as the justice chojin he had defeated.
"At least in the afterlife, you won't be alone and lonely, Rollerman."
Sunshine then turned back into sand again, rode the wind, and was carried by the jet stream of wind back to the foot of Mount Fuji, Japan, where Ashuraman was waiting for him.
"Hmm! Looks like you made it back just in time. So, did it pay off?"
Just a week after Sunshine left Japan as they promised, Ashuraman grinned, asking how it went.
"Ah, well... A lot has happened, but don't worry. I did what I set out to do."
"Ka~ kakaka! I thought that you hadn't achieved anything since you looked so glum, but your attitude... you've had another one of your silly dreams because you got lost in your emotions again, haven't you?"
"No, that's not true! I am a cold-blooded, ruthless, cold-hearted devil chojin! There's no way I could ever be moved by passion, is there?"
"Well, what do you think? You're the best at what you do, but your awareness of this is a bit lax. And as a devil chojin, if you aren't prepared for things like this, you will destroy yourself. You should be well aware of that!"
"Shut up, you don't have to tell me. But..."
"Hmm?"
Sunshine, somewhat bashful, posed a question to Ashuraman.
"Ashura, do you think there's justice, even for devils?"
"Of course there is! For us devils, absolute justice is to "thoroughly pursue evil to the extreme"! To kick around the little crooks who are content with being silly and evil, and beat the hypocrites to a pulp! I believe that evil has its own aesthetics, but what about it?"
Hearing this, Sunshine had a delighted look on his face and began to laugh loudly.
"Ha~ hahahaha! Ashuraman, you really are my best buddy, after all!"
Ashuraman looked at him with a dubious face, but he responded, somewhat happily.
"Well, I won't ask for details, as it's probably a silly story anyway. But, I'm glad to hear that you've come out of your slump! Now, let's see the new special move you've mastered in a week, shall we?"
"Oh yeah, sure buddy! Just don't buckle when you see it!"
His chest opened, and two huge rollers paired from inside began to whirr and rotate violently. Then, with a full heart, Sunshine exclaimed in high spirits.
"Here we go, Japan's first time seeing it! This is my new special secret technique, the Cursed Roller!"
Ashuraman is delighted by the appearance of this unexpected device!
"Kah~ kah-kah-ka! This is interesting, well done, Sunshine!"
"We're gonna throw all the hypocrites who're so prevalent in this world in the roller and press 'em all over the place. I'm getting kinda excited, aren't I, buddy?"
"Right, but Sunshine. You, why're your eyes watering as you spin that roller?"
As Ashuraman pointed this out, a trickle of water ran down Sunshine's cheek.
At the same time Sunshine felt a mysterious chest pain, he replied to him.
"Ah, I just got some Arabian sand in my eyes. Don't worry about it."
──The End.