The 7th Kyotouryuu head, Yasuri Shichika.
The army general director in support of critical tasks under direct control of Yanari Shogun of the Owari Shogunate,
Togame the Strategian.
These two have begun their journey to collect Shikizaki Kiki's perfected Deviant Blades.
It is said those who wield those 12 swords can rule the world.
After obtaining Zettou Kanna, previously held by Maniwa Koumori,
they have arrived at the city of Kyoto to prepare for the journey.
Are you shocked at such an unfamiliar sight?
Yeah, there's people everywhere...
With this many, I really can't tell anyone apart.
There's no need to tell them apart or anything.
Really?
Yes.
If you try to study every person that crosses your way, you'll go crazy in no time.
I feel like I've gone crazy already, Togame.
Hey, I'm over here!
I can't tell you apart from others your height...
How bad can you get...
Um...
What?
Aren't you cold?
No?
Don't mind him.
Think of him as a bear or some other animal.
O-Okay...
Is something weird?
If you ask me that, I'd have to say everything about you...
With that outfit you do look a bit...
I don't like any of them.
Staring a gift horse in the mouth, huh...
I don't need anything like this to begin with.
It'll make it hard to move.
People were looking at you as if you were naked back there.
I don't really care.
It's a problem for me.
Walking along with a young, naked man in the depths of winter?
What would people think of a woman like that?
What would they think?
They'd see me as some dominatrix and harass me anywhere I go by throwing rocks as we pass.
That'd be a problem.
If you agree then go find some clothes.
Living on the mainland comes with a lot of hassles...
And yet everyone lives through them.
Have you decided what you'd like?
Yes.
I'll take this and this and that and that and that please.
Wow, that many?
I don't need that many.
They're for me!
Don't you already have a lot of clothes?
Learn to appreciate a lady's fashion sense.
I don't get it at all...
You're the one I don't get.
What's with that getup?
I'm not naked so it's fine, isn't it?
I suppose it qualifies as original, and you could say it's chic to flaunt such a weather-defying outfit,
but I'm not a fan of it.
I really don't get this whole like and dislike stuff.
What?
Yeah, sometimes you run into people like this.
What do I do?
Protect me.
Understood.
I will protect you.
My, what pretty clothes you're wearing.
If you don't wanna die, you know what to do.
I have no intention of handing anything over.
Also, if you guys don't want to die, keep your swords sheathed.
What the hell are you—
That's why I told you to keep them sheathed.
Damn you!
You guys would be dead if you were a little better at using those swords.
Kyotouryuu hidden art...
Wait, wait!
Why are you finishing them off?
I can't?
You can't!
Is that a mainland custom?
It's common sense!
They may be bad guys, but that doesn't mean you can just slaughter them.
You're lucky.
If I hadn't stopped him you really would have died.
What a hassle...
A man who knows no one, a woman who closed her heart.
Thus their journey of hardship began.
onore wo harahara hana ni tatoete chirinuru wo
己をはらはら花に例えて散りぬるを
As though I were the fluttering flowers scattering
tsui ga kureta guren no tama wo
終がくれた紅蓮の珠を
The ending of a crimson jewel
sarauka no hi arashi no neyo ni
さらうかの火 嵐の寝夜に
taken by a fire in the evening storm
osoruru mama mikoto wa habataite
恐るるまま命は羽ばたいて
Still fearing, life takes flight
yagate yagate ten no hate ni
やがてやがて天の果てに
finally, finally to the ends of the heavens
akaku somare
紅く染まれ
Become dyed in red
sure chigai hime no yume wo ataeta mou
すれ違い姫の夢を与えたもう
Missing one another, the princess' dream granted
machiwabidata meiyo ni samayoi
待ちわびた冥夜にさまよい
Wandering in the long awaited dark night
tomo ni moeyou ka
共に燃えようか
Shall we burn together?
omoi ga harahara mau yue ni
思いがはらはら舞うゆえに
Because our fluttering thoughts dance
watashi wa mayoi wo kinjite
私は迷いを禁じて
I will forbid my doubts
mugen no kairou yori umareta
無限の回廊より生まれた
I was born from endless halls
kizuna wo saranaru sore he egaite
絆を更なる空へ 描いて
Our bonds are drawn further into the sky
hana no chiranu uchi ni
花の散らぬうちに
Before the flowers fall
Katana-
gatari
Mazui
presents
Zantou
Namakura
It's been a month since they started their search for Shikizaki Kiki's Deviant Blades.
Togame and Shichika have headed to Inaba to find the second sword.
Don't be so rough!
I don't know how to hold back.
Hey, do we have to keep doing this?
Until you're able to recognize me clearly.
It'll be troublesome if you don't learn to distinguish people.
That's true.
I just don't want to be mistaken for an assassin and killed if I call out to you as a joke.
That's true.
That's why I'm trying to learn your exact color and scent right now.
Idiot, you're not allowed to bite, okay?
You'll injure me if you do.
How about licking?
You're allowed to lick.
Actually, go ahead and lick me to remember my taste.
Stop squirming around though.
When you pull on my hair it hurts.
I guess.
Training is a funny thing...
At any rate, we'll be in Inaba tomorrow.
Oh, that...
What's it called again?
Gekoku Castle.
We're aiming for Zantou Namakura.
Note: Blunt, the Decapitator
That's a pretty weak-sounding name...
That's Shikizaki's sense of irony.
The main feature of Zantou is its unparalleled sharpness.
It'll supposedly cut through absolutely anything effortlessly.
So wait, what would happen if you tried to use Zantou to cut that tough Zettou?
I can't say for sure without trying,
but probably, the one that is less complete would yield.
I think Zantou was made later, so if it came down to it, Zettou would probably be cut.
There's a reason I chose to go after Namakura next.
Our opponent this time is a swordsman.
A swordsman would be an easier opponent than a ninja.
He's a ronin named Uneri Ginkaku.
Note: Masterless samurai
Or maybe you could call him a castle lord.
Long ago, when Shogun Kyuu ordered the sword hunt,
its owner was a samurai serving the Tottori feudal lord named Uneri Kinkaku.
But in an act unbefitting of a samurai, Kinkaku refused to turn over Zantou.
"It belongs to me" he said.
After that, he used Zantou to repulse the army Shogun Kyuu sent after him, killing over 10,000 soldiers.
10,000?!
Its current owner, Uneri Ginkaku, is supposedly his 10th generation descendant.
Entrance front the through in walk just to ninja a as embarrassing pretty it's but,
helped be can't it case this in, well.
Myself introduce me let.
Corps Maniwa the of heads 12 the of one, Shirasagi Maniwa I'm.
"Shirasagi talk-reverse" me call people.
Namakura Zantou, anything through slice to able as heralded is that sword fearsome the — that taking be I'll.
Lonely get I'll or me ignore don't, now hey.
Much that it see to want really you do or?
Know you, anyone to arts ninja my show just don't I,
now on come.
Are you trying to tell me that your "reverse talk" ninja art allows you to keep jabbering on after being sliced in half?
Woah!
Wh-When did you...
G-Ginkaku!
Hiken: Zerosen.
I got the tatami mats dirty...
Actually, I heard about this place from my dad.
I've secretly been looking forward to it.
Ah, Inaba today is no longer like what you've heard.
The Inaba desert started rapidly expanding about 5 years ago.
It's since swallowed up the whole Tottori domain.
Today, it's an uninhabitable land.
So what's that Uneri Ginkaku guy doing in a place like this?
I told you, he's the lord of a castle.
I don't get that.
Isn't it pointless being a feudal lord in a land where no one lives?
You'd think so, but of all the servants the Shogunate has sent there to scout it out,
not a single one has returned.
Cut first, ask later...
He might have been lured by the poison of Shikizaki's sword,
or he might have some other reason.
So basically you have no clue?
Didn't you say you specialize in brain work?
Anything and everything I do is part of my plan.
You needn't bother asking.
Ah, that's right!
That aside, you need to come up with a catchphrase.
A catchphrase?
Right.
Whose?
Yours.
I went ahead and wrote about your successful venture last month.
Ah, that report thing?
That's right, like you asked, I took down that ninja guy in a flashy way.
True as that is, I didn't actually see how flashy it was, so I couldn't write about it.
I went out of the way to do as you asked too...
I can't do anything about that.
I can't write about what I didn't see.
Though, it isn't really a huge problem, since you'll have more opportunities in the future.
More importantly Shichika, when I was writing about how we obtained Kanna, I noticed one important thing.
Important thing?
You have a weak personality!
...is how I figure I should react, but what's the problem, exactly?
So naive!
Are you an amateur?
At everything but the sword arts.
You can't afford to be so selfish from now on.
What?
No matter how I worded the report, that Maniwa Koumori ninja stood out more than you.
I rewrote it and rewrote it but the result was the same.
I just couldn't make you stand out more than Koumori.
Wait a second...
When I finished the final revision and read it over,
no matter what, the only impression I got of you was that of a half-naked idiot.
I said wait a second, Togame-san!
Of course I'd lose in character to a guy who pulls swords from his mouth!
But I won the fight, so there shouldn't be any problem, right?
Of course, if you lose in fighting it'd be a problem, but it's also a problem if you lose in character.
Your personality has almost nothing interesting about it!
You don't hold back, do you?
If I did, would I be able to write a captivating report?
Just what kind of battle is she fighting?
Incidentally, there are other ninja with far stronger personalities than Koumori, you know?
Just among the ones I know, let's see...
There's a ninja called Shirasagi who speaks backwards.
No matter what, he'll speak with his words reversed.
What's the point of that?
He's trying his utmost not to be boring.
Do ninja have to take that into consideration too?
Those "Maniwani" guys...
Maniwani?
Ah, you shortened it.
"Maniwa corps" is kind of hard to say.
I'll bite my tongue on it eventually.
Maniwani...
Is it weird?
It's good.
Kind of cute. I approve.
I see.
Good job.
That's the first intelligent thing you've said.
Excellent.
The readers will get to know you and come to understand your outlook.
Your report sounds like a lot of work...
Finally understand, do you?
Well, it's true our opponents are extremely eccentric,
so asking you to try to reach their level is probably too much.
Even so Shichika,
having said that, you still have to put in a minimum amount of effort.
That said, for the time being we'll focus on your catchphrase.
Is that really something you decide by thinking about it?
Yeah, it has to give the reader a kind of "wow, this guy isn't normal" impression.
I don't really mind if they think I'm normal...
I can't have that.
What'll happen if they get so bored they stop reading?
Does a report have to be that interesting?
Oh yeah!
The genius swordsman Sabi Hakuhei's catchphrase is quite good.
As annoying as it is to speak well of someone who betrayed me,
even so, I must give recognition where recognition is due.
I'll ask what it is just for reference.
"I'll have you fall for me."
I'd die if I had a catchphrase like that...
Oh yeah!
There is something I'm always saying!
Oh?
You know, that "Such a hassle!" thing.
Cheerio!
You idiot, what kind of apathetic phrase is that to set up your character with?
Think about what it's like for me to write about such a stagnant character.
What happens if I lose my will to write halfway through?
I see...
In the first place, if I described you constantly saying "it's a hassle it's a hassle!" while we're collecting swords,
you'd come across as doing it unwillingly.
So I should work enthusiastically?
Exactly.
Anyway, I just want to avoid looking like I forced you to do this.
Pretty self-centered, aren't you...
Though that said, I can't just come up with something on the spot.
Don't worry.
I figured you'd say that, so I came up with some in advance.
Well I'm sure you'll like at least one.
You'll have the privilege of picking out the final candidate.
Pick whatever you like.
That's a pretty intrusive privilege...
Well, assuming I like any.
Of course.
Don't worry, I've prepared some really cool catchphrases.
Hey,
the gods
love no one more
than me, yeah ?
"Hey, the gods loves no one more than me, yeah?"
"H-Hey"...
Didn't you say that you had brain power to make up for your lack of fighting prowess?
What do you mean?
A dumb person couldn't come up with that catchphrase.
It's true it has a certain evil ring to it...
Fundamentally, a catchphrase is meant to provoke your opponent.
Like pointing out the difference in status, or expressing your complete self-confidence.
If you announce your omnipotence beforehand, when you win, it'll look like an easy victory.
It feels like I'd just become another bad guy...
Frankly, it'd help me out if you were a little more of a bad guy.
If I demonstrated the ability to handle a tough nut or a rowdy smartass, my own standing would improve.
In that respect, you're a little too nice.
So selfish...
Apparently you're looking to get exiled.
Why would a guy who was exiled for 20 years himself say that so proudly to someone else?
Idiot.
That's exactly why it sounds so convincing.
I really don't need that...
Such a picky guy...
Does she intend to continue this pointless conversation the whole way there?
I didn't think too much over the next one but...
"However, by that point you'll have been torn into pieces."
Something like that?
Ah, whatever, that's fine!
Let's go with that.
I said that's fine.
"However, by that point you'll have been torn into pieces."
Yes, it sounds good.
You're okay with this?
I didn't expect that.
It's not a choice I was expecting to really push while I was thinking it up.
Though that said, it's certainly a work I'm proud of.
Yeah, I'm totally shocked.
It matches me so well!
I see, I see.
This idea was born from your super ultimate "Shichika Hachiretsu" move.
I-I see.
Yep, you can go ahead and thank me.
You made my day.
Indeed, I see, I see.
Well if you like it then that's that.
Though because you were so picky, this discussion went on longer than I thought it would.
That said, not so long that we have to rush or anything.
At this pace, we'll reach our destination around evening.
Yeah...
However, by that point you'll have been torn into pieces.
Cheerio!!
Do you not think?!
You're so confusing...
Incidentally, that "cheerio!" I've been using is my catchphrase.
I-I see... I didn't really notice...
"Cheerio" is a popular phrase in the Satsuma domain in Kyushu.
It's not so much in the dialect, but more like part of the culture.
I don't have any particular connection to Kyushu, but the expression "cheerio" just seems kind of cute to me.
I'm actually quite proud of the effect it has when combined with my appearance.
I'm sure it'll catch on once I submit my report to the Shogunate.
Of course, as you are aware,
the phrase originating from the Satsuma domain used to raise one's spirits is "chesuto".
The expression "cheerio" which Togame uses is a foreign word meaning "goodbye".
The story of when she notices her mistake and loses herself with embarrassment is yet some months away.
Hakuhei!
I'll be taking that sword!
You too, have become lost to this sword's magic?
Here I come!
I'll have you fall for me.
S-So cool...
Wait up, you're walking too fast!
Ah, sorry.
I'm not used to walking with anyone.
You're heavy because you're wearing too much.
Fool!
Don't frivolously call a lady heavy!
Well you're definitely light,
but isn't it hard to move with all that?
Once again, you're an idiot.
Women use different muscles to stay fashionable.
Women have such body parts?
Parts that a backwater barbarian like you wouldn't understand.
Well, I don't care about fashion or whatever.
Clothes just get in the way when you wear them.
I've already given up on trying to get you to clothe your upper body.
Just don't take off anything from your lower half, please.
I don't want to travel with a pervert.
Don't worry.
I've taken a liking to this hakama that you bought me.
Note: A hakama is the pants-like thing he's wearing
It's easy to move and easy to fight in.
Ease of movement and ease of fighting are different?
Yeah they're different.
So is there still a ways to go till we get to Gekoku Castle?
It'll be night soon, and that'd be inconvenient for you, right?
Indeed.
Letting a girl sleep outdoors in the desert would be a total waste of her fashion.
Is that the problem here?
Who the hell left this here?!
This is Maniwani's... Maniwa Shirasagi!
The castle?
How...
It's a camouflage caused by a mirage in the air.
You can't see it till you get this close.
That's the Inaba desert's Gekoku castle.
Strong offense, easy to defend.
Most people don't know about it, but it's famous among certain groups.
That was quite a shock!
Sorry.
I thought I'd try surprising you.
So why's his body discarded like this outside the castle?
Apparently the 12 Maniwa corps leaders are competing.
It's a race to collect Shikizaki Kiki's 12 perfected Deviant Blades.
Presumably, Shirasagi learned that Uneri Ginkaku of Gekoku castle holds Zantou Namakura, and came to take it.
And then got cut down instead...
To think a Maniwa corps head was brought down like this...
I've beaten a Maniwani head too, you know.
In your case, you were merely blessed with luck.
Let's think of it positively...
The Maniwani who got here first failed to get Zantou.
Depending on your perspective, that could be a good thing.
If Shirasagi had succeeded in obtaining the Deviant Blade, we'd have come here for nothing.
I see, that is positive.
But because of this guy's failed attempt, the castle lord will be on his guard now.
Worst case, he might even have run away.
He won't have.
Uneri Ginkaku is the man who didn't leave this land even after the entirety of Inaba turned to desert.
Furthermore, by the looks of Shirasagi here,
Uneri has complete faith in his own skills.
Fleeing before an approaching foe wouldn't even cross his mind.
It seems he's a stronger opponent than we thought, huh.
We could also come back later, you know?
Not a chance.
We can't afford to waste any time now that the Maniwa corps are moving so fast.
Quite the opposite Shichika, I'm glad this happened.
I've got something interesting to write in my report now, thanks to Maniwa Shirasagi giving us this opportunity.
To be able to report that we took the Deviant Blade from the swordsman who cut down Maniwa Shirasagi the traitor...
How satisfying!
And most importantly, now I don't have to write down any tedious backwards talking.
S-Sure...
And anyway, are you suggesting I write about us turning tail even though we're so well prepared?
I see, that certainly is positive.
Yep.
This is why I fell for you.
Isn't it dangerous for you to go first?
I'm the one fighting, right?
Or do you plan to take on Uneri Ginkaku yourself first?
Idiot.
You know very well how good I am at fighting.
I'd be easier for him to defeat me than to rip a paper screen.
Even if you say that so proudly...
Look, apparently you're misunderstanding this part of the process, so I'll make it clear.
We didn't come here as thieves.
We can't just run in, swords swinging, and pillage it.
We have to follow proper procedures and negotiate.
Um... "procedures", like at a government office?
Let's say that's how it is for now.
If that's all it takes, you don't really need me do you?
It's almost a certainty that anyone who would consume the poison of Shikizaki's swords is insane.
So basically, you're not expecting that negotiation can settle this to begin with.
But even so...
I need to consider the chance that it can.
Take for example the case where the sword owner happens to be a good person.
What would you do then?
As long as we have the backing of the Shogunate, we won't be punished even if we do kill people.
But that doesn't make it okay to senselessly cut people up.
Now that's out the way, let's go.
This is a suspiciously obvious screen...
which means there's something here, right?
Wait, don't just open it!
Hey!
You must be Uneri Ginkaku.
I'm the army general director in support of critical tasks under direct control of Yanari Shogun of the Owari Shogunate,
Togame the Strategian.
That sword appears to be Zantou Namakura.
Am I correct?
What a racket.
It's true I am Uneri Ginkaku.
You don't have to shout like that.
Pardon me.
So?
Why is a big shot from the Shogunate here in the desert?
Would you consider handing over Zantou?
Of course, I'm prepared to pay.
I'll provide anything the shogunate can offer.
You know, just a bit earlier some fake-looking ninja came along and said something similar.
What's with that?
A friend of yours?
He's no friend of ours.
We're different from that ninja scum.
We want to make a fair trade.
Of course, even given that it's a single sword, I'm well aware of its value.
I understand that it's not something you can just replace.
However, I'd like you to consider this offer for the sake of the Shogunate — no, for the whole world.
There isn't a single sane person who talks about a unified country these days.
Indeed.
I'm sure you don't wish to continue living aimlessly in the desert like this.
If you have any ambitions, I can assist you.
Both in public and in the shadows.
Are you saying you'd support a ronin like myself?
I'm grateful for the offer, but I've heard there's a bounty on my head.
Of course, I can release you from that burden.
You can have anything you desire.
Hey, Uneri!
I couldn't quite hear you properly this time.
Could you come a bit closer?
Besides, isn't it rude to speak to a swordsman from across a door?
I don't know exactly how important you are,
but that isn't the right attitude for someone asking a favor.
You're quite right.
Excuse me.
Kyotouryuu: Lily!
What are you doing?!
Calm down.
You think I can calm down after suddenly being kicked, you idiot?!
A mysterious force suddenly pulling me backwards...
I thought aliens were abducting me!
You certainly have quite the imagination...
So that was Iainuki...
Note: Kneeling sword draw
If I hadn't been wearing as much clothing, I'd be...
I'm pretty sure it'd be the same either ways.
I'm shocked.
This is the first time my Zerosen has been evaded since I inherited Zantou.
I'm the one who's shocked.
I'd heard Iainuki was a supreme sword technique, but to think it's that fast...
So with my shock and your shock, we're even.
Uneri!
Do you understand what you've just done?
The same goes for you too, bringing along such a skilled big brother.
You intended to do things by force from the start, right?
Big brother?!
Do I look like this guy's little sister??
What part of me looks like a "little sister"?!
My ancestors refused to give up this sword to their own masters, let alone the Shogunate.
If I simply said "here you go" and gave it up to you, I'd be the laughing stock of my dead fathers.
Are you afraid of losing that sword?
You can't reach that level of speed with that Zerosen move of yours without it, right?
So are you afraid of losing it?
And what if I am?
That's fine.
I was just thinking to myself that that must be the limit for sword users.
Aren't you a swordsman yourself?
I am most definitely a swordsman.
In which case, no further words are needed, as swordsmen.
If you want this sword, stop talking and come get it.
And I'll stop talking and fight back.
Stubbornness?
It's pride.
You may be confident after saving that woman,
but that wasn't my full strength just now.
Zerosen at full speed is faster than light.
Want to do this?
Togame.
I want to confirm something.
Is that okay?
Hey...
Just a bit of strategizing.
We'll be back soon, so take a nap or something.
When I'm back, I'll have you show me your full speed Zerosen or whatever.
Close the screen on your way out.
Oh yeah...
You didn't tell me your name yet, big brother.
I'm the 7th Kyotouryuu head...
Yashuri Shichika.
My tongue slipped...
Don't look so upset.
If I hadn't done that you'd be in two pieces!
I don't look upset, 'kay!
"kay"?
Uh... I mean...
I don't look upset!
You're ridiculously childish sometimes...
How old are you, anyway?
You are older than me, right?
That's irrelevant.
More importantly Shichika, what did you want to confirm?
I can't see a good reason for you to have stopped the fight at that point.
I wanted to see if he'd let us.
If he'd let us?
Basically, whether he'd chase us or not as we left.
But he let us go.
Well, that's true...
The moment you crossed the boundary into that room, he attacked you.
Looking at it the other way, he won't attack us as long as we don't enter that room.
That secluded room is optimal for him to ambush his foes.
I see.
That's why Maniwa Shirasagi had no choice but to face him up front.
That room is Uneri Ginkaku's absolute territory.
Then we should find a way to drag him out of that room.
Do you have a plan?
First, you'll enter the room.
Okay, I'll enter...
Then, falling prey to Zerosen, you get cut in two.
I see.
Since he can't just abandon your corpse,
he'll have to leave the castle to dispose of you, like with Maniwa Shirasagi.
And then?
Then I get him.
Cheerio!
I have to get cut in two for that!
That's why I was thinking it might not work.
Of course not!
Well, even if we give up on luring him out, I still have a plan, Togame.
Do I get split into two in this plan?
If you have to face your opponent directly, just do it.
Shichika,
if that's the conclusion you came to, I'm going to be angry.
No, you've been angry the whole time.
Don't mock me!
You know,
I think just winning today isn't good enough to win tomorrow's battles.
We can't just win by luck like with Koumori.
That's unexpectedly serious, coming from you.
I have to protect the swords, as well as you, right?
I-If you understand that then stop coming up with plans that involve splitting me in half!
And so, I'll ask that you stand behind me.
As insurance, just in case.
I'm sure you're already aware, but I have no skills by which to cover your back.
That's not what I mean.
Shichika...
How can I put it...
I can't express it very well, but I want you to do this.
Basically, people with something to protect are strong.
He said Kyotouryuu...
A martial art based on swordsmanship?
A swordsman gains nothing by discarding his sword.
What a creepy style.
Well whatever.
There's no use thinking about it.
I need only protect this castle and this sword.
That's all.
Everyone ran from the desert, abandoning their homeland.
Perhaps, if I wasn't the last one,
I'd have been able to leave Inaba too.
No, leaving was never an option.
I am not allowed to be indecisive.
Is this my anchor to this land, to this sword?
It truly is an obsession.
A swordsman needs something to protect.
Without that, he cannot fight.
Yo.
Sorry for the wait.
Indeed.
So?
Did you come up with a counter to my Zerosen?
In a way.
What, Kyotouryuu even has a counter for Iainuki?
Well, if the opponent is someone at your level, it'll probably work.
For this technique, the faster the opponent's sword moves, the more effective it becomes.
Kyotouryuu, seventh stance: Iris.
What's with that ridiculously obvious pose?
I thought he had a counter, but that's it?
It appears I'm not being taken seriously.
Kyotouryuu...
clearly not a worthy opponent.
Idiot, he's just taunting you!
Well whatever.
Alright then, on your marks...
Get set...
Go!
The distance is three steps!
One!
Two!
Three!
Zerosen!
Kyotouryuu: Rose!
You got him?
No, it was too weak!
I'll admit that was a good feint with your footwork.
I tried to cut at a phantom illusion.
But why did you hold back?
What does he mean?
Rose would have finished him if I hadn't held back.
His sword pressure caught me off guard.
Crap!
To have his lack of real battle experience show now of all times...
Shichika!
Don't move!
Stay behind me!
Idiot!
You think I can just sit by after your plan failed?
That surprised me...
Now that you've done it twice, I'm sure it isn't dumb luck.
I'm completely awake now, Kyotouryuu.
This is the best I've felt since I was born screaming into this world.
You're welcome, and good morning.
And good night to you.
I'm aware that what you did was extraordinary.
But don't think the same thing will work again.
Hurting him was a bad move...
Zerosen formation: Five lives!
Five attacks...
With this, it won't matter whether you speed up or slow down.
I'll easily overcome any small errors like that.
You were hiding that the whole time?
This?
No, no, not at all.
Wha—
What happened?
He cut himself...
What for?
This is the technique Uneri Kinkaku used to kill 10,000 soldiers.
Observe, Kyotouryuu.
When my blood flows into the sheath and soaks the sword,
its draw speed increases.
The friction between the blade and sheath disappears, and Zerosen reaches the speed of light.
This is Zantou Namakura's limited hidden art, Zantou Gari!
The more it cuts, the faster it becomes.
I've got an idea!
Shichika, let's make a tactical retreat.
If we just leave him alone he'll bleed to death.
I refuse.
It's a chance to win!
That wouldn't be winning.
I told you, I won't win by chance.
That's pretty cool of you.
Looking at you, it makes me ashamed that I was hiding moves.
No more holding back.
I'll show you the full might of Kyotouryuu.
Let's go.
Ah, actually there's one thing I want to ask you about.
Lil lady, you said that if I handed this Zantou over,
you'd grant any wish of mine, right?
Y-Yeah...
Then, in exchange for this Zantou, can you restore Inaba to how it was?
I can't do that.
The Shogunate has already decided the Tottori domain no longer exists.
And even if they hadn't, there's no way to reverse the desertification.
I see.
Well, I guess that means I wasn't wrong in attacking you.
That's a relief.
Why are you doing this?
I wonder.
Is it for that "pride" stuff you were talking about?
I wonder at that too.
I just said that on the spot.
Don't take it seriously.
I just wanted to protect something.
But even though I wanted to protect something, this was the only thing left to me to protect.
I see...
Let's go then.
Yeah,
my Zerosen's ready to go anytime.
Observe Zerosen surpassing the speed of light.
And if you really have a hidden trick up your sleeve, show me that too.
Sure, I'll show you it.
However, by that point you'll have been torn into pieces.
On your marks...
Get set...
Go!
Zerosen formation: Ten lives!
Gyafun!
"Everything is within Zerosen's range"?
Wrong!
You can't draw straight above your head!
K-Kyotouryuu!
Kyotouryuu seventh hidden art: Rakka Rouzeki!
Note: Scattered Blossoms
So where are we going next?
Hey.
Hey, Togame!
Don't ignore me!
You've been like that since yesterday!
Were you injured somewhere when I kicked you?
You're so noisy!
Stop trying to speak so normally to someone when they're mad at you!
Geez, I'd never have thought you'd use me as a wall to kick off of!
Ah, you're angry at that.
I'm not angry!
I was hoping the initial Iris chaining into Rose would do the job...
I really did just mean to use you as insurance.
Why couldn't you have told me that from the start,
instead of saying grandiose things like "people with something to protect are strong" or whatever.
Sorry, that was just random babbling.
Don't babble!
People who have something to protect are strong.
The fact that that is not a means of becoming strong,
and that there are people who need something to protect in order to keep living...
Shichika learned that from this battle.
The story of Katanagatari on this month and this evening ends here.
That reminds me, you haven't actually seen Zantou's blade yet have you?
Here.
No, it's okay.
In the end, I couldn't follow Ginkaku's Zerosen with my eyes,
so I don't have the right to.
I see.
Hey, what'll happen to Inaba after this?
And Gekoku Castle?
Nothing.
At this point it's already outside the Shogunate's jurisdiction,
so it'll just rot away and perish.
Even so, it'll last for ages to come, far longer than ourselves.
It might even continue on for a thousand more years, just not as a castle.
I see.
Neither swordsmen or their swords can win against nature, I guess.
That's how it is, in the end.
Seems that way.
But you know, Togame...
Uneri's final line...
it was really cool.
It wasn't only cool, it brought out his character.
Is that what you'd call a catchphrase?
You're a little off.
That was a line to fall by.
A final message,
his last words before death.
You could call it his will.
It's different from a catchphrase in that you only say it once in your whole life.
You're not allowed to say it until you're ready to walk to the path to Hades.
I see.
Does it bother you?
Certainly, one's final words are even more powerful than a catchphrase.
You only say it once in your lifetime, after all.
However understand that you, Shichika, are not allowed this one chance.
You needn't give any thought to your last words.
At last, deep sleep is allowed me.
utsurona keshiki
虚ろな景色
This empty landscape
utsurona keshiki
虚ろな景色
This empty landscape
kuzureru sajouna kasou
崩れる砂状な火葬
Collapsing into incinerated ashes
kuzureru sajouna kasou
崩れる砂状な火葬
Collapsing into incinerated ashes
hitori egaita masshirona sekai
一人描いた真っ白な世界
The bright white world I painted alone
hitori egaita masshirona sekai
一人描いた真っ白な世界
The bright white world I painted alone
subete wo ushinai kooritsuita jikan ni
全てを失い凍りついた時間に
I lose everything, in frozen time
subete wo ushinai kooritsuita jikan ni
全てを失い凍りついた時間に
I lose everything, in frozen time
owari wo tsugeyou shizukani kuuhaku no hate he
終わりを告げよう 静かに空白の果てへ
Let's end it all, in the dead silence of space
owari wo tsugeyou shizukani kuuhaku no hate he
終わりを告げよう 静かに空白の果てへ
Let's end it all, in the dead silence of space
itsuka koe wo koroshita
いつか声を殺した
I became mute sometime
itsuka koe wo koroshita
いつか声を殺した
I became mute sometime
kodou ueru you ni nemurenu yoru
鼓動飢えるように眠れぬ夜
My starving pulse keeps my awake
kodou ueru you ni nemurenu yoru
鼓動飢えるように眠れぬ夜
My starving pulse keeps my awake
kasoku shiteiku senka wo togisumaseru surudoku
加速していく戦火を研ぎ澄ませる鋭く
Polishing the accelerating war till it is sharp
kasoku shiteiku senka wo togisumaseru surudoku
加速していく戦火を研ぎ澄ませる鋭く
Polishing the accelerating war till it is sharp
saigoni rokuni shinereba
最後にろくに死ねれば
If I can die honorably
saigoni rokuni shinereba
最後にろくに死ねれば
If I can die honorably
setsunaku chiru tsui no bigaku
切なく散る ついの美覚
Scattering sorrowfully in beauty
setsunaku chiru tsui no bigaku
切なく散る ついの美覚
Scattering sorrowfully in beauty
azayakani iroasenu hane wo egaite
鮮やかに色褪せぬ羽を描いて
I draw unfading vivid wings
azayakani iroasenu hane wo egaite
鮮やかに色褪せぬ羽を描いて
I draw unfading vivid wings
"However, by that point you'll have been torn into pieces" huh...
Although it wasn't high on my list of suggestions,
if Shichika says he likes it, that's fine.
With this, that plain Shichika will stand out a bit more.
Now then, I'll try out this backwards talking thing.
Strategian the Togame,
Shogunate Owari the of Shogun Yana... critical... the...
Like I can do this!
Next on Katanagatari: Sentou Tsurugi
Sentou
Tsurugi
Cheerio!