Angelica Vaughn had shown her excitement about the match, but she was also dealing with her own frustrations. Her manager might have had some ineffectual words, but Raion Kido knew that he could not turn back from the road he had begun to travel.

“And besides… there are expectations for me.”

Such were the Lion’s thoughts as he wandered around the streets of Edmonton. There was nothing to do, and it was a lovely evening, so he might as well go take a walk in the fresh air and attempt to clear his mind. The letter he had received was now safely kept, but its contents were now engraved inside his brain.

“First Angie Vaughn, then Charlie Nickles. Nothing but victory will suffice, all the way up to Leap of Faith.”

Still, his mind was rather clouded. Leap of Faith was still a month ahead, and he knew that he needed to keep focused going forward. Now, however, everything was swirling. It was then that he saw something strange - in the midst of the city, there stood a Buddhist Temple: a two-story stone structure with a red ceiling, whose doors were open and inviting. Curious, Raion decided to investigate. He had been to Buddhist temples, so he would be at ease.

“And maybe I’ll finally get some peace of mind. With what I have in front of me, I definitely need it.”

Upon coming closer, he finds a monk at the gate, his head shaved, and dressed in the traditional robe - almost as if he had been expecting the young Lion.

“Greetings, young man. Do you come here to meditate?”

“Well, I was rather curious to see this open, but why not?”

It isn’t long before the Lion and the monk kneel before the temple’s altar - the sitting, smiling effigy of the Buddha in front of them, and sit in the traditional cross-legged lotus position. The Lion smells the traditional incense burning as he bows, in customary fashion, to the Buddha statue. After a moment of silence, the monk takes out two cups, and serves tea from a nearby kettle.

“Here you go, son. It’s cold this time of day, and it’s always good to have something warm in your belly.”

“Ah - thanks a lot, sir!”

The monk raises the steaming cup to his lips.

“Your good health.”

Naturally, the Lion responds in kind.

“And yours!”

After they both drink simultaneously and set down the cups, the monk gives the Osaka wrestler a smile.

“You seem like you are somewhat lost. Perhaps you would like to unburden yourself?”

“Well, see, I’m an athlete - a wrestler. I’ve had some missed opportunities and would like that to end, to win the biggest opportunity in an event a month from now. But there is a long way ahead, and plenty of matches in between. And I need some peace of mind right now, because nothing other than victory will do.”

“You think that having lost… how many matches?”

“Only two, but they were the biggest I had.”

“Two matches. You think that having lost two matches has made you unworthy?”

“I don’t, but others might. Especially since I am being watched.”

“Son - when the Buddha decided to look for enlightenment, he was living a life of luxury and riches, every sensual pleasure at his reach, and yet he felt dissatisfied, that his life had no value. So how could he be unhappy if every one of his senses gave him nothing but pleasure?”

The Lion mulls over the question, before letting out an answer.

“Because he didn’t only use his senses, he also used his brain, and it told him something was missing.”

“Very good. It’s the same concept here, only backwards. Because you’ve lost some matches - and less than you won, you feel you have no value. But does that really matter if you know there is something missing? If there is defeat, there must also be victory.”

Raion raises an eyebrow, and then arches his lips in a wry smile.

“Heh. Easier said than done, sir.”

“But let me finish, young man. Think about this. We know that the Buddha’s sensory pleasures failed to satisfy him, and for you it’s the same. We also know that he thought this, as you should. That means that we humans have more than our five senses in the way that we perceive the world. Some people call this perception of the brain the sixth sense.”

“Hmm… actually that makes sense.”

The monk smiles, and taps his temple with his finger.

“And now think on this. What did the Buddha do, in order to become enlightened, and to transcend the world?”

“He, uh… meditated?”

“He did, but he also renounced to be guided by his other senses - what people say of you, how you see them. The important thing was to realize that, if he was to move past all of that, there must be something else to awaken. Something that allowed him to become conscious past everything worldly. Such is enlightenment - what they call the seventh sense.

And maybe that is what you need, son. To find the seventh sense.”

“The seventh sense… Wait a second - that’s from Saint Seiya!”

The monk lets out a hearty laugh, and soon enough, Raion does as well.

“I am not so removed from the world so as not to know about you, Mr. Gold Saint of Leo! Also - you’re not the only one in the world that has seen Saint Seiya.

Now go, and make the Gold Saints proud!”

As the Lion leaves the temple, there is a smile on his face. Not only because of the monk’s shared joke, but because, perhaps, there was more truth to the story than even he had known. Maybe there was such a thing as the seventh sense - the very thing that allowed the Saints to achieve miracles in the face of certain doom.

And if it indeed was so, the Lion would find it.


“Us human beings are fundamentally alike in our perception of the world - sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch - what we know as the five senses.

Some add the brain into it, and call its ability of precognition the 6th sense.

And some of us say it goes even further.”

Thus Raion Kido begins, the Buddhist temple serving as the backdrop for his message. In the early hours of the evening, and with the sun going down, the lit up temple shines brightly - as well as the Gold Cloth of Leo that the wrestler is now wearing; the proof that he is a Saint of Athena.

“There is a power that lives within all of us - to exceed the limitations of what mere human beings can do when they push themselves, up to the very limit. It is the thing that I fight for, and what I want to unleash in the XWF.

Which is, Miss Angie, why I take defeat the way I do. You haven’t had the chances I have had in the time we have both been here, so I understand why you could not relate. But you see - you call it being my own harshest critic. I call it having a standard. I would expect your manager to understand that if she were not too busy worrying about how hardly satisfying I am, but I suppose that for someone with her attention span, I must be difficult to understand.

Let’s leave her out of this for now though, it’s your words that matter most. And don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the fact that you acknowledge me, and I made certain to note that, even if you had a first setback, you’ve now come back from that. And I’m also appreciative of the fact that this match was among your list of dream matches.

But that is exactly the point, is it not? If I am to be an inspiration to you, I must show that I am worthy. And so far, I have dealt with a wall that I haven’t yet been able to break. Yet cracks are showing now, and that is why I go on. Even now, I get to face Charlie Nickles once again at Wednesday Night Warfare, and this time, I will get the job done. Just like I shall get the biggest victory of my career so far in Leap of Faith, the road to which I’ve begun last show.

The road to which, Miss Angie, you just happen to cross.”

The Lion smiles, but there is a stern expression in his eyes. Angelica Vaughn spoke of the Evangelion, but he subscribed to a different faith - the faith of the goddess of justice, that gave him the power of which he always spoke. But he knew that he had to take it to greater heights. This match, and Angelica Vaughn, would be the opportunity to put that to the test.

And to do that, there was no choice, but to let the cosmos burn.


“And while I understand that the fact that beating me will carry you to the level on which you believe you are, it is my charge to tell you that I have to be on a level of my own, and that beating you is a milestone that I must accomplish. Not just for myself, or for Leap of Faith, but for you, Miss Angie, and your kind words.

After all, is that not what you, yourself, have said? There is nobody you’d have as a stepping stone to the top as myself. That, exactly, is why I must come for you just as hard as I’ve gone for everyone else, for I must prove that I am worthy of you, and that this path that I’ve set myself on wasn’t for nothing.

And I say this, Miss Angie, because I’m already going through the road that you mean to walk - and you, like most of the opponents I have so far faced, have not yet faced the same challenges that I have.

You claim you’re not being taken seriously? Try stumbling into your biggest challenge yet after you’re voted Star of the Month, after beating the names that I have beat. Try going, again and again, against a nigh-impenetrable wall when you’ve had a title match and the finals of a tournament behind you, and then, perhaps, you’ll understand why I go about this the way I do.

Because the point here, Miss Angie, is to break that wall down once and for all!”

Raion looks serious now, and there is a certain fury in his voice - though not directed at his opponent. This match would go beyond the Vaughnemous girl - there were many pairs of eyes watching him, both those in his favor, and those wishing for him to fail.

To ones, he would ensure he gave what they wanted. To others, he would spite by succeeding. Part of it was his own stubbornness, but most of all, it was his duty.

“See, I do believe in carrying on. I believe I am the very embodiment of getting up and coming back stronger once I am knocked down, and I’m glad you see that. Unfortunately, though, I am no unicorn, to be subdued by the purest of maidens, and do not merely gallop aimlessly on.

For what I am is a Lion, a noble beast that may never be tamed. And what I do is to show people why they should fear the Lion’s fangs, for they are coming for them. Even now, in my path to success, they have tried to disparage me. But there’s something that not one of them has yet been able to touch - my talent, my skills, and the power that drives me.

You should take note of this, Miss Angie, for it concerns you personally. As much as your own manager and dear friend wishes to support you… even she has failed to find any fault. She can talk all she wants about how bored she gets, but deep in the back of her red eyes, there lies fear - the fear that comes with the realization of knowing I can bring you down. She just doesn’t know just how far I can go - and both you, and her, are the people I shall show that on this edition of Savage Saturday Night.”

This time, a roguish grin appears as his lips open, and he displays his canines. The Lion understood the role of Sarah Selena Lacklan, but knew the truth behind her words. However, even though he meant no actual harm to Angelica Vaughn, he would not let himself be derailed - and that meant no further setbacks. Besides, she wanted a dream match.

And he would not disappoint.

“By the way - since she decided to talk about food in an effort to mock me, I couldn’t help but notice that you decided to claim you’re hungry. But tell me, Miss Angie - what is your hunger’s depth? Have you tried going for the Television Title within one month? Have you tried to sign up to the King of the XWF tournament? It’s not like you have not had at least one opportunity; after all, you did go against Corey Smith. But you have not done the things I have done to earn my own chances - and being a veteran and former Grand Slam Champion, you should know exactly what fighting to earn something is. Talk to me of hunger once you’ve made the effort to do so, as you did before.

And then I’ll know your words carry the weight you want them to.

Before we proceed though, I don’t want you to think I’m being dismissive, Miss Angie. On the contrary - the reason I tell you this is because you’re coming into this match making a fundamental mistake - believing that the very cosmos may be extinguished.”

A slow, definite shake of the head, and the wild mane on it, follows these last words. If Charlie Nickles, Bobby Bourbon, and the Brotherhood of Bastards as a whole failed to abate his spirit - would the Lion allow Angie Vaughn to do it? Would he be worthy of his name? No. It was time to show to her what the power of the cosmos entailed.

“Kings are toppled, kingdoms may fall - but as long as the slightest, faintest breath remains inside a Saint of Athena, they shall rise again. On shaking limbs, almost unconsciously, on pure instinct, but stand they shall, and so will I, for there is something for me to protect.

Did you not, after all, notice that I said I would defend? I am defending my place, my reputation, and my current standing in the XWF - that very same thing that led you to say this was your dream match, and I do it that I may build my foundation to the end that is Leap of Faith. Because I believe in what I am and what I do - and because, as I’ve said before, I refuse to let the previous setbacks define me!

Though I suppose I should thank you, Miss Angie. I know there was no ill will in your words to me, but they are exactly why you shall lose. Your optimism does you credit, and I believe you’re someone that will eventually go far. I will even go so far as to believe you’re capable of beating anyone if you try hard enough.

But you’re not capable of beating Raion Kido. Not this day. There will be no spiraling, no further derailments., because this match means to me the next step in the road to Leap of Faith, and once I’ve begun to walk that path, there shall be no turning back. In the end, Miss Angie, consider your defeat as the consequence of your own words, and the very thing you desire. All you want is to be taken seriously.

And I promise you, Miss Angie… I’m taking this very seriously.”

The Lion clenches his fist, the night breeze making the snow-white cape at his back flutter. Despite the reception he got in the company, and having earned the praise he had received, he knew that there were naysayers looking to bring him down at every opportunity - such as the Bastards.

He could relate to Angelica Vaughn in that regard - but he had his place to protect, and protect it he would.

“I have spoken enough, and it’s time to act. Saturday Night Savage, April 30th. Angelica Vaughn wants this to be the End of Evangelion, but the battle has only just begun - and it’s not going to end until the time I’ve obtained my final victory - or until my very life runs out.

Because the Cosmos is burning, Miss Angie, and will soon come to a burst. And I promise, you’ll feel it once you’ve been hit by the Lightning Bolt. And then you’ll go on to greater things, knowing that now too, the power of the universe also lies within you.

But on April 30th, the test is for me, you are the hurdle, and by the strength of the Lion, I shall be victorious.

For it is time for me to put my life on the line, and to show the hidden power within the human body.

It is time for the 7th sense… to finally awaken!”

After roaring these last words, the Lion closes his eyes, crosses his arms over his head, and brings them down to his sides, letting out another shout that echoes in the chilly wind, and resonates over the empty fairground, even after the feed has gone.

As the camera steps away, the golden glow of his armor appears to glimmer even more strongly than before.

“BURN, COSMOS!”

Fade to black.