Hurry!
Oh, it's just you.
Favaro! Rita!
What have you done?!
Knights!
Unless we recover the key girl,
the Royal Capital—nay, the world of man—is doomed!
Secure her at once!
Yes, Sir!
Kaisar.
Captain Lavalley...
I'm giving you your own squad.
I need you to track down Amira's group immediately.
Me? But I'm still but a newcomer.
Gaurin has been killed.
What?!
Shh.
It wasn't Amira's group.
But I cannot leave my post here.
Take this.
Find her before the other squads do
and guide her on her way.
But this is...
Please.
Oh, right. You can fly!
Sorry. I can't.
I'm waiting for sunrises again
Rise up, rise up, rise up
Let me see the sun
Rage of Bahamut
People always say
"black or white," but the world is so gray
Even angels and demons were once the son of God I praised
temee no gen'in wa temee no naka kara
You're the catalyst for your own demise
zenbu hikurumete omae no saga
It's inherent to your being
kizuku koro ni wa mou you're in a coffin
But by the time you realize, you're in a coffin
It's too late if you want to do something
What the hell is wrong with me?
I can't remember what I wanted to be
Tick, tack, which is what I found
I can see the keys are scattered around
kono yoru ga aketemo nanika kawaru wake ja nee sa
Even though a new day dawns, nothing's gonna change
Yes, I know; yes, I know that I...
I'm the only one
who can save myself
I'll never forget
All I wanna be is me
Oh, are you scared?
Nope!
Yeah, I guess not.
Do you think my mother will recognize me?
I need to get out of this forest.
I mean, I've grown so much!
Man. Hanging around this little kid is gonna get me killed.
This much!
Yeah, she'll recognize ya.
But...
Seriously. One hug and she'll know right away.
Hey!
Will my mother really recognize me if I hug her?
Yeah. That's how moms are.
Like this?!
Wh-Whoa! Watch it! Hey!
Gaurin...
What a terrible fate to meet.
Wh-What were the guards doing?!
They all had their throats slit.
Is that... hair?
Hair, you say?!
It was her! It must have been her!
That witch wants to kill me!
This is nonsense! I have no desire to take Your Majesty's life!
S-Silence, witch!
This hair is undeniable proof!
That could've been obtained from anywhere!
You can't fool me!
You came to kill me in my sleep!
But Gaurin learned of your plan!
I know nothing of these things!
You can explain during your inquisition!
I demand to see Lord Michael, my guardian angel!
Nonsense!
The three archangels have already departed for Heaven!
That can't be...
Now that the key girl has been lost,
it won't be long until the angels forsake this capital.
It's all your fault...
You filthy, abominable witch!
What is it?
There are more.
Huh? Where?!
Whoa!
They found us already?!
Kaisar!
Favaro! Return Lady Amira to the Royal Capital immediately!
Wh-What's your problem?
Are you mad we left without tellin' ya?
We had a very good reason...
Yes, I bet you did!
What the hell, Kaisar?!
Just play along, okay?
Huh?
Fava!
Stay out of this, all of you!
Whoa!
Stop!
Don't kill him!
Whoa! Hold on a sec!
Hold on, I said!
Lady Amira...
Rage of Bahamut
The key girl has been lost from the Royal Capital!
We'll take over from here!
You must return to Heaven quickly and have Gabriel send reinforcements!
At once!
The seal's imbalance is becoming too great.
Make haste, O maiden!
Time is of the essence!
Oh, poor little saint.
Who's there?
Pitiable maiden, abandoned by the gods...
No, I suppose you're a lamb now.
Or perhaps...
I should call you a "witch" instead.
Are you the one who slew Gaurin?
Perish the thought.
As a matter of fact, I've come here to save you.
To save me?
Indeed.
The humans have betrayed you.
Nonsense.
I am a sword and shield of the gods.
As a holy knight, I'd have no regrets giving my life for my duty.
A holy knight?!
What an utter untruth!
Why, you're nothing of the sort.
Who told you that you're a holy knight?
Was it your beloved guardian angel, I wonder?
Wouldn't you like to know the truth— the one that the gods are hiding?
Drink this and the truth will be yours.
I'll lend no ear to the words of a demon!
Oh, of course! No pressure at all.
It's entirely your decision.
I do have one piece of advice for you, though.
No matter what happens to you,
don't expect your merciful guardian angel to come to your aid.
Because he won't! He won't!
What's going on?!
What is this?!
Hey!
Retreat!
Where are you going?!
Can't you see me?! I'm right here!
I can't believe this.
That's hired help for ya.
What's that?!
What's what?
Sorry. I can't.
Seriously?
If you guys can't pull it out, there's no way I'll—
How?
C'mon! Don't be so shocked, you guys!
What?!
Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's gotten into you guys?!
You have my thanks.
That barb had been bothering me for the last two thousand years.
Barb?!
Who are you, old man?
Call him "mister" in this case.
Who are you, mister?
I am...
"I am..."?
What you just pulled free is...
What, no introduction?!
It is a barb of Bahamut.
Barb...
The barb you so kindly removed...
It seems it was fated to guide you to this place.
Bahamut...
Bahamut.
It has appeared many times before.
Each time, it brought about the world's ruin.
It last appeared around two thousand years ago.
In what could only be called a miracle,
the gods and demons managed to unite and seal Bahamut away.
That's when this barb became lodged in my foot.
Tearing into a separate plane of existence like that...
Bahamut is truly marvelous.
Much time has passed since then.
But Bahamut is now on the verge of breaking free once more...
by way of this young girl.
You know of Lady Amira?!
I do.
I am an eternal observer, after all.
This girl is the seal's key.
Should the key and the seal be brought together, Bahamut will awaken and destroy the world.
Just as it has countless times before.
We won't let that happen!
The gods and demons are already amassing their forces, however.
The key girl is no longer under our control.
If the demons obtain her, they will undoubtedly converge on the holy land of Abos.
O warriors of light!
Gather before my sword and make ready for battle!
The key girl has left the city!
They're plotting to take the holy land for themselves and revive Bahamut!
My fallen brothers of darkness!
Take up your swords!
What are you scheming, Beelzebub?
Now is the time to annihilate the gods' forces!
Y-You don't mean...
Whoa, now.
All these jokes are only funny for so long.
Destruction is your fate. Fate cannot be changed.
What's wrong, Favaro?
It's nothing.
The world's going to disappear because of me?
Everyone's going to die?!
Yes.
Even my mother?
So it would stand to reason.
But it was also fate that you stumbled into this place.
There may be one way to prevent destruction.
Really?!
By living in this separate plane of existence...
Forever.
Live... here?
If I do, what about my mother?
Will I get to see her?
It's gone.
Amira?
Screw this!
To hell...
To hell with fate!
Favaro?
You're gonna give up after all this?!
You're so close to seeing your mom again!
But if I don't stay here, she'll die.
Then change that crappy fate!
Listen up, old man! I've got one thing to say to you!
We can change fate! As much as we want, however we want!
We can change it?
Yeah, and we're going to!
Screw this "destruction is our only fate" crap!
It's just like my old man used to say!
Favaro, which way is the wind blowing?
To tomorrow!
My word!
Huh? What?
Fava!
Favaro...
You're right! I have nothing more to add!
Color me surprised!
Amazing, Fava!
Hold on. Is this seriously happening?
I understand. Now, go forth.
Are you sure?
All I can do is watch.
I cannot stop you.
I will give the barb of Bahamut to you.
It's possible it might be able to tear through fate, too.
I gratefully accept it!
Thanks for everything, mister!
Thank you, venerable one.
Hear me, knight.
Huh?
Saint Jeanne is being burned at the stake?!
That's crazy!
Saint Jeanne can't possibly be a traitor!
Hey, you! Do you dare oppose the king's decree?!
Please show mercy, Your Majesty!
Saint Jeanne would never harbor rebellious sentiments—
Silence, Lavalley!
Everyone who praises Jeanne is a traitor!
Seize every last one!
Kill them if need be!
Bingo.
Fungus, foxglove, and mandragora root...
Cockatrice gizzard and basilisk heart...
These are some pretty dodgy items for a castle to have on hand.
Leftovers of a magic ritual?
But this enchantment is...
Looking for something...
Miss?
This is where my mother is.
Prudisia.
Prudisia
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prudisia
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What's wrong, Favaro? Are you afraid?
Don't worry! I'm strong!
Yes, that's right.
Hear me, knight.
Be aware.
As long as the girl is a vessel for the key,
the miracle of two millennia ago will not occur.
Huh? What do you mean?
Zeus and Satan presently exist in key form;
only by the blood of a human vessel can they now be manifest.
But the girl cannot accomplish this role,
for she only possesses the blood of a god and the blood of a demon.
You're saying there's no way to keep Bahamut sealed away because of Amira?
Yes.
Should the key and Bahamut come together, they will be permanently bound.
They can never be separated again.
This is the one absolutely immutable truth.
Why are you telling me this?
You intend to change fate, do you not?
Then know this:
if you wish to stop Bahamut's revival, take the key girl...
Wait for me, mother!
Mother!
and kill her.
My destiny,
sotto oshiete hoshii
won't you tell me?
aenai
But you're gone
ima wa tooi place to be
in a place so far away
unmei wa kawaru to
"Fate changes"
oshietekureta the truth is free
That's what you told me, and now the truth is free
I miss you
I revere you
You're my everything
I will follow you
subete wa ano toki
It all began then
To the promised land
tsuretette
So take me
yakusoku no basho e
to the promised land
I'm Lucifer.
I'm Azazel.
We're the Fallen Angel Brothers.
Hold on. You're my crony.
Your white feathers are nice.
Yours are very nice, too.
On the next Rage of Bahamut: Genesis, "Helheim, Land of Lies."
Illustration:
Let's Bahamut to the max again next week.