What's wrong with you, Yuri?
Why?
How could you turn like this?
How amusing.
To think you'd fall to the blackness simply by cutting down your friend...
"Hero," my foot.
You're weak.
Too weak.
I get it now.
It's no wonder you were no match for the Black King.
On the other hand, this gives me ample reason to take you down.
Damn puppet.
Looks like you're all set to go, but I don't have time to play with you right now.
Come, Yuri.
Our master is waiting.
You're not going anywhere!
I'll let you go for now.
The next time we meet will be your last.
Yuri!
This is getting nowhere.
This is how you use...
the power of darkness!
My, how impressive.
Sadly, that's all we have time for today.
I'm taking Yuri with me.
Damn it...
You idiot!
Yuri...
Yuri!
Torn Apart
So then...
Yeah.
Marina's keeping Kain's wound closed for now,
but we'll need help from other healers to heal him fully.
You!
Why are you here?
I could ask you the same thing.
The man who was your leader has fallen to the blackness.
The so-called Suppression Army is over.
Begone.
Say that again!
We have no reason to listen to you, Lord of the Nine Territories.
Yes, you do.
Members of the Sorcerer's Army, if you still have the will to fight, join me.
I'm the only one who can use your might to its fullest.
You? Use us?
You're certainly confident in yourself.
Unfortunately, I don't think you could handle us.
Then do as you wish.
But if you ever get in my way, be you a member of the Sorcerer's Army,
or a sage of the Sage's Tower, I will show no mercy.
Keep that in mind.
The Suppression Army isn't even close to being finished yet.
Don't go deciding things for us, you damn ogre.
Give back the Chain Chronicle.
It doesn't belong to you.
Show some respect!
Gotten a bit big for your britches, brat?
Or has being betrayed just made you desperate?
Yuri never betrayed us.
Listen to yourself.
He was defeated.
He abandoned you and joined the Black King.
What is that if not betrayal?
It's nothing.
Yuri's just a bit lost right now.
He's waiting for us to come help him.
He always believed in his friends.
In his bonds with his friends.
That friends would always come to help when you're lost.
Those bonds are still there.
It's our turn to carry him this time.
You're going to bring him back?
Yeah.
Nonsense, brat.
Interesting.
Then try it, brat.
But you'd better hurry.
Before I kill him first.
I won't let you.
The Chain Chronicle is mine now.
If you want it back, you'll have to take it by force.
I've been waiting for you, Yuri.
Or should I say, Black Knight?
The darkness has welcomed you.
How does it feel to follow what lies in the depths of your heart?
I came here once to save the world.
But only because I was bound by fate to do so.
I fought hopelessly without ever finding a reason to save this world.
This time, I will challenge the world.
If it falls to me—to the blackness—
then it was never worth saving to begin with.
It ought to crumble.
We'll return to the Sage's Tower to report on this matter.
Thank you.
I'm amazed you talked back to Shuza like that.
You're going to die young.
How so?
I just did the obvious.
"Obvious", he says!
I like this kid!
This is a grave state of affairs for us.
But I'm glad you're with us, Aram.
It could be that Yuri was...
It's nothing.
Never mind.
Please look after Kain, Marina.
Yes.
There are plenty of talented healers in the Healer's Guild at the Vice Capital.
I'm sure Marina will be able to keep him alive until you reach them.
I won't let Kain die.
So where are you and Phoena going next?
Oh, about that...
Are you going to Soul Island, as planned?
Yes.
I believe it's our best option.
Telling you to cheer up probably doesn't help,
but at least, try not to blame yourself too much.
I'll be fine.
We'll figure it out.
Like Aram said, it's our turn to do what we can.
You're right.
Let's go.
All right.
Let's get going too, Phoena.
Phoena?
Oh, right.
What's up? Are you hungry?
What is it?
Are you worried?
I'm fine.
I'm not down or anything.
But, like, I can tell Phoena's really pushing herself.
It's weird, isn't it?
I never thought about other people until I met Yuri.
It didn't even matter to me if the people around me died.
Everyone's alone in the end, I thought.
But now...
Aram.
Thank you.
I feel refreshed.
Th-That... That's great.
Why don't you take a bath, too?
Y-Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Dinner's ready.
Thank you.
It's delicious.
Really? That's good to hear.
You might be a better cook than me.
No way.
Your cooking is good, too.
I know that's not true.
You and Yuri were the only ones who ever said my cooking was good.
Hey, Phoena, tell me about Yuri.
You've been traveling with him for a lot longer than I have.
I want to learn more about him.
Oh yeah, I told you about the weird man we met
while we were snowed in in the mountains, right?
Baltazari, was it?
He said that Yuri defeated a dragon once.
Was that for real?
Yes.
But I'd rather not talk about it.
Why not?
Taking down a dragon sounds awesome!
I bet it was an amazing adventure!
No, it wasn't!
It really wasn't.
The dragon he defeated was blackened.
That dragon used to be known as the Guardian of the Desert.
But at some point it may have been exposed to the blackness.
It had become tainted black.
To think that I, once known as the Guardian of the Desert,
would wreak chaos upon it.
You've come to your senses?
For now.
Hero, finish me.
Wait!
We don't need to take your life.
It is only right.
To make the people of the desert suffer defies my true nature.
To perish here is thus my fate.
Now, do it.
While I am still myself.
Farrah...
Finish him.
Thank you for protecting the desert city.
Rest well.
There was nothing we could do to save the dragon from the blackness.
All we could do was put him out of his misery.
Why?
Why couldn't I stop him?
I knew Yuri was suffering.
Phoena...
I was the closest to him.
So why?
He's a kind person.
He's too kind.
And we forced him to fight.
Is that where we went wrong?
Forcing the weight of all this on his shoulders?
Is that why he—
No!
There's no way that's true!
It's all the Black King's fault for attacking people where they're vulnerable.
Isn't it?
Then my sin is even worse...
Why does the darkness take everyone?
Is that our inevitable fate?
If that's so, does this world deserve to be engulfed in black?
Of course not!
But...
Phoena...
Before I met Yuri, I thought he must be really strong.
He had no powerful supporters or anything backing him.
Despite that, he made it all the way to being the captain of the Volunteer Army.
But after meeting him, I realized he wasn't anything like that.
That's when I finally understood that no one is strong through and through.
Everyone has weaknesses.
But...
But that's why we make friends!
We're friends.
We're going to take Yuri back.
We can do it.
We have strong bonds.
Don't we, Phoena?
It'll be all right.
It'll be all right, Phoena.
Bonds, huh?
I only realized after you were gone...
Just how heavy and painful they can be.
Looks like we can breathe easy for now.
Yes.
Marina can finally get some sleep, too.
That goes for you, too, does it not, Michidia?
I'm fine.
I want to be by Kain's side when he wakes.
Juliana.
I heard.
Is it true?
Yuri has fallen to the blackness?
Yes, it appears so.
No...
First Burckhardt, and now Yuri?
It's bad enough that Shuza has turned against us.
And now this?
Why are we faced with so many tribulations?
Raise your head, Einslotte.
There's no point in grieving about what's already happened.
I intend to meet with Shuza immediately.
The situation we have with him requires the utmost urgency.
Listen, such chaotic times call for the initiative to find a path to the future.
That is the duty of she who wears the crown of the Holy Queen.
Is that not true?
No, you are absolutely correct, Juliana.
I mean, Your Majesty.
That's right.
I have to act.
It's my responsibility to protect the people.
If Shuza, or if Yuri in his blackened state, stand in my way,
I will take them down with my own hands.
I am the Holy Queen.
I come with a garrison of two thousand men who were holding ground
in the Nine Territories.
We plan to meet with many more.
Good job, Shidoh.
We now have over 5,000 men.
We need more.
To defeat the Black King and become the lords of this continent,
we will need more men.
More strong men.
Well, well, well, this is interesting.
Clearly, this is not just any old artifact.
What is the text engraved on this sword?
A song.
With this, we can make something very interesting indeed.
"Make"?
All we need now...
We've returned.
My, you're back early.
How is the Suppression Army…
No... Yuri...
This may be a necessary trial in order to create new light.
New light?
What is that?
It is still but a small possibility.
But there is something that must be done to make it as certain as possible.
I have a favor to ask of you.
So that's Soul Island.
Yes.
There, we will surely...
Unyielding Will
Fate is set in motion.