Redda's death was too kind as retribution

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Well let's see: He took Rockna hostage, held a fake Rockna at swordpoint when confronted again, and after receiving the Knights' share of the Monster Items, put the real Rockna inside the Terror Dragon. So far, Chelle has suggested that if Mondo and Zaha had failed to save her (or if Mondo became paralyzed with shock from having this happen), what would have happened to her later on would likely be the worst way anyone could die.

Honestly, I can't possibly think of a worse fate anyone could possibly suffer than that if she weren't saved. Just imagine the shock that one must experience from having even their friend ripped away from them, let alone one's daughter or girlfriend. Redda simply being killed by Zaha's sword hardly does justice. Even the cold-blooded torture that I originally planned on having Katsuo put Nicole and possibly others through would have arguably been better...and of course, that has been toned down to a single No Holds Barred Beatdown.

Well, I think I might have found a loophole to let Redda live to fight again. For those of you who saw the last episode, notice how, instead of falling to the ground and bleeding, he simply vanished after Zaha slashed him.

With that said, even though his body died, his spirit might have escaped into the mask (which he wasn't wearing, if I recall correctly), which in turn sought a new host. Towards the end of the first fic in Monster Collection Chronicles, someone will be seen wearing the mask, which will later revive Redda (possibly at the cost of the host's life). He might be the one to reveal to the Knights what Katsuo had done (assuming he could somehow read anyone's past), but Katsuo then vows to give him the same ass-kicking that he previously gave Nicole (after already having known what Redda himself had done around the same time).

So, the Knights fight him again, but with the skills they had acquired while he was "dead"/inactive, the fight turns out rather easy for them, ending with each of them, one at a time, using their respective Aerial Strike on him, and then someone cutting his torso open with his own sword and pulling his intestines out, and leaving him to writhe as they victoriously hold them in the air. And to top it all off, someone had already smashed the mask while all this was going on, which means he'll die for real this time.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Chelle:

Actually, if you look closer, Zaha cut his back open, and it seems he died due to a spliced spinal cord. You are not the first to have said that it was too nice for him, but villains rarely get what's 'coming for them', because it is the heroes who often kill them.
There's some justice in that while his body wasn't harmed much, his pride was. The last things he says reveal how much it hurts him that a few little humans ended up being his downfall.

Anyway, no matter what he did it, I really doubt that Mondo and Rokuna will go ahead and have a torture session with him, not just because Rokuna would feel it as well, but out of principle. Heroes don't do spite indulgence lest they are about to go villainous, so Katsuo is probably the only one who would actually go so far, since he is an anti-hero of sorts.

Also, as for Reda himself, he only engages in combat when he is absolutely sure he will win. Otherwise, he retreats or uses canon fodder as distraction. His primary threat is being able to turn things to his hand by manipulating others, so why would he engage in combat in the first place? Considering how ridiculously good he is at gathering information, he would know they're stronger than him and would avoid them. He is one of the very few monsters who can teleport without gate or spell.

Last, if you're gonna bring him back, will it help the plot along? The "living in the mask" thing is a good way to go about it in any case.

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ust thought of how things might play out:

Given how you said he's able to teleport without a gate or spell, he would initially do just that. However, once the Knights catch back up with him, Kasumi and/or Derek might use some kind of spell that prevents even independent teleportation (something which they will also use at the end of the second fic to prevent Takeshi from fleeing the last battle).

With such a barrier in place, the Knights will then proceed to beat him. Even though it is a one-sided fight here, he is still somehow able to withstand everything that they give him, and is still somewhat able to stand.

Just then, Katsuo unleashes an explosion of dark energy which kills all his own comrades and nearly kills Redda. With Redda barely still alive and everyone else dead for the moment, this gives him the opportunity to kill him the hard way. (And, he actually does intend to resurrect everyone else once he's done, but for now, he feels it's better that they're all dead so that they don't interfere with him, and so that Rokuna doesn't feel any of the pain.)

As for whether this will fit into the overall plot... Well, if it doesn't, then I might just omit it and mention the idea in an author's note. But then again, ideas do inspire further ideas, so I'll just see how this pans out.

[(Anonymous)]

Sounds more logical, yeah. Make sure some of the group gets on Katsuo's back for this, since death is ouchie and he didn't tell them about it.
If wanting to avoid Rokuna suffering too much is an actual part of Katsuo's motivation to kill them, that can be used to show that in some (twisted) way he does care for others.