Nuriko fought and defeated Ashitare by himself…
…but in doing so received severe wounds…
…from which no one could recover.
Don’t lose. No matter what…
He can’t be dead… It isn’t true! This…
No! Nuriko! Open them! Open your eyes!!!
The Lady Miaka said her eternal farewell to Nuriko.
I won’t lose. Just watch me, Nuriko.
With Nuriko’s sacrifice having cleared the way…
…the Lady Miaka turned towards the Shinzaho and continued on.
“Atop the mountain, the Priestess and the others…”
“…stood before the open doorway.”
“The Priestess of Suzaku turned towards the Shinzaho left inside…”
So, the Shinzaho’s in here, huh?
It’s opening!
I’ve got a bad feeling, you know?
Chichiri?
We’ve killed one of the Seiryu Seven…
…but they’re not doing anything.
It’s so dark… And cold!
Well, let’s get going!
The door closed!
Miaka, what’s wrong?!
I dunno! I slipped on something!
Okay! I’ll get us some fire in here!
B-B-Bones! They’re bones!
Like we couldn’t see that?
Human bones…
Look out!
Tamahome?!
I’m okay. It’s just a scratch.
Ice arrows?
You who seek the Shinzaho will find only ill fortune!
Wh-Who are they?!
This cold is incredible!
We shall never give the Shinzaho to you!
Could it be… The Seiryu Seven?!
Who are you?! Show yourselves to us!
The girl has spirit… My name is Hikitsu!
My name is Tomite!
We are the guardians of the Priestess of Genbu’s Shinzaho!
Wait a minute, Hikitsu, Tomite!
Y-You mean…?!
We are of the Genbu Seven!
The Genbu Seven?!
Wh-What do you mean?! Didn’t they die 200 years ago?!
W-Wait! Listen to us! We’re the Suzaku—
Miaka!
We show no mercy to thieves, even if they’re women.
Don’t worry. Soon your body will be covered with ice.
And then it will fall apart where you stand!
Miaka! Hang on!
REKKA SHINEN!
Tasuki!
Fire always beats ice! Just leave this to me!
No, don’t! I’ll handle…
Miaka! Get back!
But…!
If we don’t break through them, Nuriko will never forgive me!
Hey! What are you doing at a time like this?!
I love Miaka… That’s why I want you both to be happy.
I promised him. That I would make you happy!
If we break through this…
…it means we’ll be together that much sooner!
You fools! You think you can defeat us?
Let’s fight them, Tomite.
I guess they want to end up like their colleagues rattling at their feet!
Shut up!
The Suzaku Seven doesn’t step back from anything!
The Suzaku Seven? You’re the Suzaku Seven…?
Tasuki, I’ll take the one on the left!
REKKA SHI N EN!!!
Same trick again, huh?!
The flames split up!
Leave this to me!
I’ve still got a trick or two hidden up my sleeve!
Didn’t see that move coming, did you?
That ring will get smaller and smaller…
…until it slices your body in two!
There’s no WAY I’m gonna die here!
Tamahome!
Let’s finish ‘em!
He… He went through him!
Sorry, but that won’t work!
What?!
Anything you try will be useless. No man alive can beat us!
The bodies we abandoned two centuries ago…
…are long since destroyed!
Souls left behind… Spirits?!
Genbu warriors without bodies?
Yes. Even I could never beat opponents like them.
Why do you think Kutou doesn’t dare to attack this country?
Then, from the start, you wanted Miaka and the others to…?
Yes. We need only wait for them to get it.
But who was it? The one who fought with Ashitare…?
That wasn’t part of the plan.
I never expected Ashitare to kill one of the Suzaku Seven.
You meant to use Ashitare as cannon fodder.
A proper use for an incompetent fool, wasn’t it?
Damn it!
I dunno what you mean by spirits,…
…but real men would take us on body to body!
But they don’t HAVE bodies! Don’t you get it?!
If you understand, then stop this useless fight.
It’s time we stopped playing, Hikitsu.
Now know the loyalty we have for the Priestess of Genbu!
What’ll we do?
Wait!
Please! Please, I beg you! Let us pass!
Miaka…
We need the Shinzaho so that we can summon Suzaku!
I’ll do anything I can to get it!
If we can’t get the Shinzaho, we can’t go back to Konan!
Please, I’m begging you!
Very well…
You’re letting us pass?
If you truly are the Priestess of Suzaku…
If you can prove that you deserve to have the Shinzaho…
…then you may pass.
I understand!
Stop it! You don’t know what they’ll do to you!
It’s all right! Nobody interfere with this!
Oh, no…
Now, then…
Take off all your clothes!
What the hell’s wrong with you two?! You mean…?
You guys are nothin’ but a couple of pervs!
Silence! You don’t have to do this, you know!
All right… I’ll do it!
Agh! Nobody look at her!
This is the limit to what the broadcast code allows…
H-Huh…? It wasn’t ALL her clothes?
All right. Stand there and don’t move.
It’s cold…!
Th-Those guys are…!
They’re turning Miaka to ice!
Don’t move! If she is the Priestess…
…she’ll try to hold out to the very end!
S-So cold… And it’s getting colder…
Like thousands of needles pricking my skin…!
Stop it!
You fool! Didn’t you notice…
…we’d surrounded you with a wall of ice?
Even fire can’t melt that wall!
Now, then! If you are the Priestess…
…try and find a way out of this!
There’s no way!
Miaka! Enough already! You’re killing her!
Miaka…!
She’s frozen!
Soon she will stop breathing.
In the end, she was just a girl.
MIAKA!!!
Can’t…breathe… Am I dying?
You have a lot of good points about you…
So, don’t lose.
No matter what… Don’t lose…
I want you to be happy.
Nuriko…
H-Hey! Tamahome! Look!
Nuriko…
Miaka! Miaka!
Miaka!
Tomite… Did you see it?
I saw. For just a moment, she was surrounded by a red life force.
It looked like fire.
That was… The flames of Suzaku!
Darn it, you…! Every time you do something like that…
…you take years off my life!
T-Tamahome…
Just what do you think you’re touching?
Jeez, it was just by accident…
But how were you able to break out of the ice?
I’m not sure, but…
Power suddenly started coming from Nuriko’s bracelets.
But I thought only Nuriko could use these.
I guess Nuriko saved me again.
No, I don’t think that’s all that happened.
You have shown us your power, Priestess of Suzaku.
Wh-What’s with them?
They sure changed their attitude quick!
Power? I don’t think I understand.
All of you, we beg your pardon.
You mean you’re going to let us pass?
Yes. We will lead you to the Shinzaho.
Right?
Well, I guess we have to now.
These doors are kept sealed with our will.
Wow… They’re huge!
For 200 years, we’ve defended them.
And now, we will open them.
Here… The Shinzaho is here…
It’s beautiful…!
That’s the Shinzaho there.
Will the Priestess only please follow us in?
R-Right…
Hey! Why can’t we come?!
Calm down, calm down…
We finally have the Shinzaho…!
Your right hand and right leg are moving in sync, you know.
At last…
The Priestess of Genbu received this necklace…
…in the ceremony to summon Genbu.
It contains the Priestess’s power to summon the beast gods.
I have it… I finally have it!
Now I can summon Suzaku and have my wishes granted!
Konan can be saved… Yui can go home to our world…
I can make this world my home!
I can stay with Tamahome…
Hotohori will be so happy.
Nuriko, I finally got the Shinzaho.
Uh, excuse me.
I really hate to throw water on the party…
…but you can’t summon Suzaku with just that.
You’re kidding!
Whaddaya mean, we can’t summon Suzaku?!
You can’t release the power without the other Shinzaho…
…in the Sairou Empire to the west.
Huh…?
N-Now that you mention it, back at the ceremony…
…Taiitsukun said “FIRST you have to go to Hokkan,” you know?
Well, why the heck didn’t she say so at the beginning?!
Right, Tama—
Uh-oh… He’s in shock.
So what?!
So what?! We’ll hang in there and head for Sairou!
We already have one Shinzaho! Let’s do it!
I… I guess so…
I know we’ll do all right!
Tamahome?
What are you waiting for? Let’s get going to Sairou!
Sheesh… What a letdown.
“Having gained Genbu’s Shinzaho…”
“…the Priestess and her companions were shocked to learn…”
“…that they also needed the Shinzaho in Sairou.”
“With the pain of Nuriko’s sacrifice still in their hearts…”
“…they set out on a new journey.”
The most direct route to Sairou is…
…to head south through Hokkan and then cross the desert.
And what about you now?
Our duty has come to an end.
Once this door is closed, we return to heaven.
It’s been a long time. 200 years…
Yeah…
Be careful.
Farewell…
That’s right…
These two defended their Priestess, even after death…
I wish we could have talked with them more.
They made me think of something.
Can’t Suzaku bring dead people back to life?
I’m afraid it wouldn’t work, you know?
The flesh will rot and return to the earth.
There’s no way he could be brought back to life.
Still, I think Nuriko is watching over us.
Like those other two were…
The Shinzaho, which Nuriko gave his life for…
…is suddenly stolen from the Lady Miaka…
…in a moment of carelessness.
In the depths of her anguish…
…the Lady Miaka takes a dangerous chance to reclaim it.
Next time, “Hell’s Mirage.”
Off towards an unseen sea of illusion…