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Two hundred miles southeast of Japan, on a small, peaceful land mass known as Kiryoku-shima, a demon slept. First encountered by those who came to settle on the island centuries ago, the evil being was known as Gekido-Jin. A powerful oni roughly thirty feet high and clad in garb reminiscent of a samurai warrior, Gekido-Jin once terrorized the peaceful settlers there, attacking their homes and slaying even the strongest of their warriors with ease. Time and again, the people of Kiryoku-shima would manage to overcome and destroy the demon, only for it to revive itself, forming a new body from the very soil of the island, each reincarnation bigger and stronger than the last. Just as all hope seemed lost, a lone monk arrived on Kiryoku-shima. Approaching Gekido-Jin, the monk offered himself to the beast and was promptly devoured. However, this led to the oni's downfall. With the monk having willingly sacrificed his life, his soul was able to combat Gekido-Jin's own. With the demon's spirit locked in perpetual combat, its physical form petrified, and for the next eight hundred years, Gekido-Jin remained as a statue on Kiryoku-shima.
The year was 1992. Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, was bearing down on Kiryoku-shima. The United States Navy sent an armada of battleships in an attempt to slow down or even prevent Godzilla's arrival on the island, but even their impressive firepower was not enough to deter the creature. With the ships destroyed, Godzilla continued on towards the island. Without the Navy to help evacuate the islanders, G-Force was left alone to help them at least move out of Godzilla's path. While Ookii'mune, priestess of Kiryoku-shima, allowed her people to be moved, she also informed G-Force that the island was in fact fully capable of defending itself from Godzilla's wrath. She then announced her intention to awaken Gekido-Jin from his centuries long slumber by offering herself as a sacrifice to the oni, just as the mysterious monk had done long ago.
By the time the people of the island had reached Gekido-Jin's shrine, Godzilla had already stepped foot on Kiryoku-shima and wasn't far behind. Ookii'mune stood at the oni's statue and began to offer herself to it, but before she could complete the ritual, Godzilla was angered by G-Force and a stray rock kicked up by the monster knocked the priestess out cold. With Godzilla growing closer and very little options left, Kogenta - a friend of G-Force who had been living on the island for the past year - ran out to Gekido-Jin's statue, trying to appeal to the monk's soul within in an attempt to awaken the beast. Unfortunately, his shouting at the statue had gained Godzilla's attention, and just as he began to realize his attempt at awakening the oni was useless, the reptile crushed both Kogenta and the statue underfoot.
Godzilla began to unleash his wrath on Kiryoku-shima, blasting the cliffside where the islanders were taking shelter with his atomic breath. Almost as if in retaliation, the ground began to buckle and split. The crevasse lit by the fiery depths below, an enormous form rose up from the soil: Gekido-Jin had returned. He was no larger than the statue that Ookii'mune and Kogenta had offered themselves to, but despite his diminutive size, Gekido-Jin did as he was summoned for and attacked Godzilla, striking the Monster King's leg with his mallet. Startled and angered by the assault, Godzilla incinerated Gekido-Jin with a single blast of his atomic ray. But just as the legend foretold, the oni instantly began to reform himself, even larger than before. In response, Godzilla smashed his foot through his foe, shattering Gekido-Jin to pieces. The demon began to reform again, only to again be demolished by Godzilla's ray. With the reptile unwilling to give Gekido-Jin the time to reform himself completely, G-Force knew they had to intervene. Godzilla was able to destroy Gekido-Jin with his atomic breath one last time before G-Force was able to momentarily electrify him with a lightning rod, giving the oni the chance he needed to at last fully reform himself.
Now nearly just as tall as Godzilla, Gekido-Jin was finally able to offer the King of the Monsters a proper challenge. Swinging his mighty war hammer, the demon struck Godzilla in the head, flooring him with a single blow. With his foe down, Gekido-Jin tried to attack with his weapon again, only for Godzilla to obliterate the mallet's head with his atomic ray. After being momentarily knocked off his feet by Godzilla's tail, Gekido-Jin began to lure the reptile away from the populated side of the island until he began to approach a cliff overlooking the sea. Staring each other down, the two giants charged and attacked. The struggle was brief but fierce, resulting in both opponents stumbling over the cliff and falling head first into the sea.
Moments later, the two beasts emerged from the waves, watching one another, as if daring the other to make the first move. Godzilla obliged, unleashing another blast of atomic breath that, even at his current size, utterly destroyed Gekido-Jin once again. But this time, the oni did not reform. His mission, to protect the inhabitants of Kiryoku-shima from Godzilla, had been accomplished. With the island and its people no longer in danger, Kogenta's soul engaged Gekido-Jin's in spiritual combat, reducing the demon to its smaller, statue-like state once again. Thinking himself the victor, Godzilla swam onward, leaving the island behind.
Sadly, though he would forever be known as a hero to the people of Kiryoku-shima, with Gekido-Jin's statue now resting at the bottom of the sea, Kogenta's soul was doomed to remain in torment for the rest of time. |