You're a strange man.
The situation is dire, why are you smiling?
Of course I'm smiling.
After all, I'm still the strongest man in the world.
Adlet...
Why did you want to be one of the Six Braves?
Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers
Taken by the sinkin' blue
Gonna understand, don't hide your truth
Understand true meanings of love
Death in their hand until the end comes
And the people get replaced again
But this keeps on building up and up
Another start
A wind prearranges the fall
You won't get far
Can't escape
If you gotta let cross a Black Swallowtail
karamitsuita ima ni shigamitsuku jibun firewall
Until the rust upon your entangled, still clinging, self-firewall,
sabi nurikaete made
Is painted over anew,
me ni shita mono ga mieru ni utsurikawaru
The things you lay your eyes upon will change the moment they come into view,
kono sekai koete ii no
And you can go beyond this world.
Episode 7 The Reasons of the Two
Is this the first time
Flamie's taken an interest in me?
Why do you ask?
Because you are average.
You're only an average man, with a lot of weird weapons.
You're saying I'm weak?
but I am the strongest man in the world...
I didn't say that.
I'm simply curious as to how an average man, like yourself,
could become so strong.
It's thanks to my master.
Maybe I shouldn't say this, but my master was a bit crazy.
He was obsessed with defeating the fiends.
So he holed up, deep in the mountains, coming up with new weapons
and different ways to use them.
It was hard to believe he was human.
He taught me, the hard way, how to fight.
Every day, we trained until I couldn't move.
And I studied like I'd been chained to my desk.
How to make secret weapons,
poisons, and gunpowder.
And the latest in scientific knowledge.
Science? You got that far?
I'm grateful to my master.
Thanks to him, I was able to become strong.
I think I've heard of a man like that.
Yes, it was Atro Spiker.
His name was on my hit list.
But given his age, he was a low priority.
I'd heard none of his students could take his severe training methods,
and every single one ran away.
Your information was wrong...
I didn't run.
Why were you able to endure?
Something happened, right?
The reason you had to become one of the Six Braves.
When I was a kid,
a single fiend came to our village.
Hey, wait, Adlet!
No way!
Hey!
What is it?
That's a fiend...
I'll fight him!
Stop, Rainer!
Let me go!
Don't do it!
No!
Stop...
Stop it!
Oh, hello there.
You can't even say hello?
Well, it can't be helped.
I've come to speak to the adults of this village.
That night, I couldn't sleep a wink.
In the morning, the fiend was gone.
But the village elder said...
This village will now move to the Land of Howling Demons.
We will be ruled by the Demon God.
There is no way for the Six Braves to win.
The human world is done for!
But if we join the Demon God now, we will survive, at least.
Rainer... Sis...
We have no other choice!
But the fiend said something before he left, right?
Yeah, he said to rip out the hearts of any who opposed the deal,
and bring them to him, as a sign of our new loyalty to the Demon God.
I'm surprised you knew that.
Tell me what that fiend looked like.
Oh, well, it seemed big at the time...
But honestly, I think it was about Goldov's size.
It was humanoid, mottled with green and light pink.
It had three wings, didn't it?
Three crow-like wings on its back?
You know it?
That's one of the three who rule the fiends.
He was the one who came up with the idea of creating a half-fiend,
and ordered my mom to give birth to me.
Continue.
My best friend died protecting me.
My sister sacrificed so I could escape.
I was the only one who made it...
That was what he wanted to happen.
They never hated the villagers, even at the end.
It was the fiend's fault. Not the villagers'.
My best friend said not to hate them.
My sister said they'd return someday,
and we could live with them in peace...
My master told me
that it was thanks to my best friend and my sister, that I could become strong.
I was able to become strong because I still believe those words.
That a man can't become strong for revenge's sake.
He becomes strong because he believes in something.
I'm jealous.
What did you say?
I said I'm jealous.
You didn't just say you were jealous, right?
I'm jealous.
I don't even have something to believe in.
What do you mean?
The fiend who gave birth to me and raised me...
She gave me a gun.
She gave me the Gunpowder Saint's power.
And she was the fiend who gave me happiness.
And she abandoned me.
I loved everyone, and I believed that everyone returned my love.
When I grew up and gained the Gunpowder Saint's power,
I killed many people at my mother's orders.
I never doubted.
I was a half-fiend, with filthy human blood in my veins.
So I needed to work harder for the Demon God than others did.
That's what I thought.
And I went after Chamot,
to try and take out one of the world's strongest warriors.
I had to run away, unable to scratch her.
I even fell for her provocations and gave her my name.
I barely escaped with my life, and when I returned, my mother tried to kill me.
The fiends that I'd thought my comrades
had no use for me.
Maybe I should have died then.
But I escaped.
What I can't forgive isn't that she tried to kill me.
If I were just a puppet,
I wouldn't have felt any pain, even from betrayal.
If she always planned to betray me,
she should have simply raised me as a slave, to fight humanity.
But my mom...
My mom... She pretended to love me.
Revenge?
Killing her wouldn't be enough.
I have to destroy what she spent her life to bring about.
When I defeat the Demon God,
I'll tell my mom,
"Regret what you did, for this is the result."
Back then, my life was so happy.
I had my mom and my friends.
We all played together, and we all fought together.
I had a dog. I wonder what it's doing now.
I wonder if it's still being fed.
Or maybe they've gotten rid of it...
Um, well... Hang in there.
Why don't you doubt me?
Why do you believe what you were just told?
You don't think I might have lied?
If you're really who you say, and not the seventh,
you should suspect me above the rest.
But you don't suspect me at all.
That's more than enough reason for me to suspect you.
I finally understand
why I can't just leave you alone, Flamie.
Why I decided to tell you about my past,
which I haven't even told Nachetanya.
Because you're like me.
The pain of being betrayed by those you trusted, and losing your home.
The pain of using revenge to drive yourself.
You can't do anything but take revenge.
The reason I believed you
is because I don't want to think of you as an enemy.
Don't get the wrong idea!
I haven't fallen in love with you or anything!
I wasn't talking about that at all.
Don't be creepy.
You're different than I am.
You have something to believe in...
I'm going back to the temple.
Won't you come with me?
We've discussed many things,
but that doesn't change the fact that you're still the most suspicious.
Right...
Gunpowder?
Throw it at something, and it will burst.
No light and no sound.
But I, alone, will know where it ignited.
Then I can call you?
The next time we meet, I might kill you.
You can use it or not.
Flamie!
I'll protect you!
Not just you!
Nachetanya and the others, too!
I'll protect everyone!
It's fine.
I thought you'd still be alive.
Where's Adlet?
He got away.
He was wounded, and I hoped to capture him.
But I didn't have my gun.
I see...
You should get some sleep, too.
Tomorrow morning, we'll talk in more depth.
That which is gone cannot return.
I didn't get strong for revenge...
I'm not fighting out of hatred.
I became strong so that
I wouldn't lose anything
ever again.
If you try to protect everyone,
you'll be the one to die,
Adlet...
That is the entire story I told Adlet about myself.
Fiends are cruel creatures.
Horrible...
If it's true.
You still suspect Flamie?
It's already clear.
Flamie is one of us.
Okay...
I'm getting a bit worried.
Is it really okay to consider her one of us?
Hans!
Did she really fight Adlet?
My blade went into him pretty far.
It missed his vitals.
You aren't as strong as you say.
Nyaa.
Adlet certainly seemed to like you...
When we suspected you, he defended you.
When we said we'd torture you, he got mad and stopped us.
If you've fallen in love with him, that would make sense!
You're extremely irritating.
Nyaha! A woman's heart is an eternal mystery.
Her words don't match her thoughts—
Hans! Shut up for a second!
But I am suspicious, as well.
When you realized he was the seventh, how did you feel?
I wasn't surprised in the least.
You weren't surprised?
He was trying to seduce me to his side.
When I found out, it made sense.
I see.
What a scary girl!
Poor Adlet, huh?
Hans! Would you shut up for a bit?
Again with the "shut up."
What's important here is Adlet.
How do we catch him?
Most of his weapons are here!
He can't fight without them.
I think if we wait, he'll come.
But I don't think waiting without a plan is wise.
We should make the first move.
Adlet can detain us here, simply by staying hidden within the barrier.
We'll split into pairs.
Flamie, you'll search for Adlet with me.
Princess, you go with Goldov.
Show him no mercy at all.
Goldov, take care of the princess.
Understood.
Chamot and Hans are to stay here,
and fight Adlet if he appears.
Stay sharp!
Nyaa?
Without a pretty girl, I'll only do half as good a job...
Can I switch places with Goldov?
No objections, correct?
Let's go!
I don't wanna! Chamot doesn't like waiting!
Very well.
Then, Flamie, you stay here. And Chamot will come with me.
I don't want to walk all over, either!
I'm gonna go out and play until the barrier's down!
Chamot!
Don't worry.
I can handle Adlet myself.
All right... Glad to hear it.
I'll leave it to you, then.
Chamot!
Make sure you don't get lost!
Okay!
Flamie, which way did Adlet run?
This way.
Flamie and I will go east.
You two, take the west.
Understood.
Let's go, Goldov.
What?
Can you really fight the fiends?
What do you mean?
"Sorry... Forgive me!
I've always regretted my actions!
Let's be together again!"
If your mom said that, could you kill her?
I could. I'd know it would be a lie.
Nope!
I'm an assassin.
I've carried out many contracts.
A husband betrayed by his wife.
Children abandoned by their parents.
They come to me, and ask me to kill.
But...
They're never happy when I do.
At the last second, the vast majority say not to go through with it.
What of it?
Well, it doesn't matter.
Let's go, Flamie.
What is it?
Goldov, do you trust me?
Of course.
Whom could I believe other than you?
What I'm asking
is if you'll agree with my ideas, without saying a word.
Princess, what are you thinking?
Adlet isn't the seventh.
I'm going to work to prove that.
Princess...
Just for now!
Just agree, and don't say anything!
I can tell...
Adlet has fallen into a trap, and he's waiting for me!
I cannot do that.
Even for you, that is something I cannot do.
I'm not saying this with nothing to back it up.
There's still no proof.
It may be only a mistake.
But it may be the key that leads to the truth.
Whom do you suspect?
Hans.
If Maura and Flamie are together,
there's a good chance the other four are paired, as well.
This is bad.
That means someone is alone with the seventh.
When they get the chance,
they may kill the person they're with and blame it on me...
Hurry!
I must investigate the temple.
I'll reveal the seventh's plan and the eighth's existence.
I also want my weapons back, if possible.
If Nachetanya is still at the temple,
I may be able to negotiate...
Hey, there!
I thought you'd come, Adlet.
Is that you, Hans?
Come to think of it, you're an assassin, aren't you?
So surprise attacks and traps are your specialty?
I thought those cheap tricks were all you had...
You're better than I'd thought.
So I ran into one of the others...
I'll have to fight, huh?
I need to run away for a bit.
I must escape!
You'd better be planning to kill me,
or this will be over in a second.
Why don't you come down here?
We can have some fun!
The same trick won't work twice...
What is it?
Do you hear something happening at the temple?
No...
Let's hurry. We need to find some proof
that Hans is the seventh Brave.
Too bad, Adlet...
kage mo katachi mo nai
From a wound with no traceable form,
kizu kara mata chi ga koboreru
blood overflows again
hakanai akumu kara
While from within a fleeting nightmare,
kikoeru dareka no negai
I can hear someone's plea
iki o koroshi asa o matta
I killed my breath and awaited the morning,
sukui nado wa konai noni
Though I knew salvation will never come.
namida karashi ai o kobami
Emptying my tears and rejecting love,
tada hitori de ikita noni
I simply lived on my own.
doushite
So why is it
kuruoshii hodo kono shinzou
This emotion scratching away at my heart,
kakimushiru kanjou ga itai yo
Hurts so much I could lose my sanity
shinjiau koto omoiau koto
Trusting one another... caring for one another...
sono subete sutesatta no tooku
I cast it all away, into the distance.
Episode 8
The Average Man and the Genius
Next time: The Average Man and the Genius.