Yuto...
Say, Roku. Do you know how I'm feeling right now?
It's been two years since then...
Not a day has gone by that I didn't think about you.
Not a single one.
Even in sleep, I dreamed about you.
I'm so glad to see you. I really mean that.
Same here.
I never believed you were actually defeated.
That's why over these two years, I've trained my butt off,
fought as much as I could, did all I could to get stronger...
All so I could beat you, Yuto!
I see. Well, I'm glad.
You've thought so much about me...
I'm really touched.
I guess that means the feeling is mutual, then.
You seem well, Benio.
You're 16 now, aren't you? You seem a little more mature.
Come on, let Nii-sama get a good look at you...
Yeah, right.
I thought you'd let your emotions overwhelm you...
But you seem to have learned a bit.
You haven't changed at all.
You may look older, but you're still a liar and a coward,
and as corrupt inside as you've ever been!
Ijika Yuto, I've been waiting, as well.
For the day we would cross paths again!
Roku, I'm glad to see you again,
but there's one thing that disappoints me.
You're still hanging around with Benio?
Of course. We made a promise.
To get stronger together...
And to defeat you together!
We're the Twin Star Exorcists, after all!
The Twin Stars...
The title granted to the exorcist couple who will give birth to the Miko.
You're in perfect sync, and you share the same goal.
You really are like a married couple.
Oh, well. It's been two years...
Roku, I'll give you a chance to show me
just how much you've grown.
I Come from Magano Say It Ain't So, Rokuro!
It's a huge mess all over...
There are mountains of rubble everywhere you go.
And so many injured, it seems like there's no end in sight to the rescue efforts.
What's gonna happen to Narukami?
I don't wanna hear any whining.
Seigen-san!
And Mayura-chan!
I'm so glad you're all right!
What about Rokuro-kun's team?
We don't know. They vanished somewhere.
It seems like real trouble, but...
No matter what's going on,
you can be sure those two are doing what they need to do.
So if you guys have time to waste worrying, then get moving.
Even if the town's been wrecked, the people are alive.
Every step taken by each one of you
is one step toward the town's recovery.
Seigen-san...
Hey, all of you!
So this is where you were!
Kinu-san! Jissama!
What are you doing?
Isn't it obvious? We're getting food together!
We were cooking a bit at the Seika Dorm
when people from town started showing up.
Cooking?
But power, gas, and water are all out...
You little fool!
You don't need all that stuff to cook!
You can't fight on an empty stomach.
To fix this mess,
the first thing we need to do is fill everyone's bellies to make them strong!
Good to know you old folks are reliable.
Now, stop standing around and come help!
Right!
I'll help, too.
Yes, I can tell.
I can feel in each individual punch
just how much you've trained.
You've become very strong, indeed.
Now, will you look at how strong I've become, too?
I have no use for you. You're in the way, so get lost.
Didn't I just tell you to—
Meteor Smash!
Meteor Smash
Whoa, there!
That was a close one.
Flame Contact!
Crimson Blast!
Resonance!
Crimson Meteor Smash!
Crimson Meteor Smash
That chain of attacks wasn't too bad.
He's unharmed?!
I can sense endless spell power...
Several tenfold compared to two years ago.
Obviously.
Kuranashi stole spell power from countless exorcists
and the Twelve Guardians themselves,
and then I stole all of his spell power.
Then he wasn't helping you?!
Helping me?
Kuranashi was trying to use me.
All for his dream of freeing Magano.
All I did was turn the tables on him.
He dreamed of it for over a thousand years,
yet in the end, it never came to pass. Makes you laugh, huh?
I felt sorry for him, so I ended his life as quickly as I could.
You're corrupt to the core, aren't you?
It's just the natural order.
Exorcists, the Twelve Guardians, Kegare, Basara...
You're all just food for me.
In this world, the strong prey on the weak...
And since I'm the strongest, you're all my prey.
And, Roku, that includes you.
Like hell I'm gonna let you eat me!
Golden Crow Portal Talisman!
Gold Smash!
Gold Smash
Wow, that's a new trick, isn't it?
Not too shabby.
I'm not done!
Whoops. That was a close one.
You're not getting away!
Come and get me!
Get back here, Yuto!
Rokuro, wait! Don't chase him too—
Rokuro!
Stay close to me!
Where are we?
What is this? My body feels so heavy...
Well, you see...
This is beneath the fifth layer of existence,
at the greatest depth in creation... the Chamber of Darkness.
The Chamber of Darkness?
Only a small handful of people know of this place.
Most normal people wouldn't be able to stand...
In fact, they'd be unable to even breathe.
Only those whose spell power is high enough can come here.
Are we in the real world or Magano?
Neither, and also both.
The features of reality are mirrored in Magano,
and when there's a big enough battle in Magano,
the shock waves reverberate into reality like a ripple across water.
Reality and Magano mirror each other, as two sides of the same coin.
They're connected like a Möbius strip.
This place could be called the link between the real world and Magano.
How do you know all this?
Who told you about it?
Well, you see...
While I was healing inside the Ame-no-mihashira,
I managed to link to the consciousness of a certain individual.
What individual?
Look over there.
What is that?
Every exorcist knows his name.
He planted the Ame-no-mihashira, the barrier that separates reality from Magano,
and is responsible for the Exorcist Union itself... its founder.
The founder of the Exorcist Union?!
You can't mean...
Yes.
That is Abe no Seimei.
Abe no Seimei?
That's him?
Are you crazy? That can't be him.
People can't live for over a thousand years!
By suspending your vital functions,
you can extend your lifespan over time.
It's a bit like going into suspended animation.
Abe no Seimei...
He's alive?
Yes, he was until a few moments ago.
Because I took his spell power, you see.
In my body resides the spell power of the Twelve Guardians, the strongest Basara,
and now, that of Abe no Seimei.
In other words, I have become the strongest exorcist.
No way!
Don't believe me?
Then allow me to convince you.
Sorry, sorry... As it turns out, I was holding back earlier.
After all, you trained so hard to beat me.
I'd feel terrible if it ended that easily.
Stop screwing around!
Spell power wasn't the only thing I gained from Abe no Seimei.
By merging with his consciousness,
I was able to learn everything.
How the Ame-no-mihashira grew,
the secrets of exorcists that remain hidden to this day...
And Roku... I know who you really are, too.
What did you just say?!
You know who I really am?!
I sure do.
I was really quite surprised...
To think that you...
had such an origin.
What do you mean?! Who am I?!
What do you think?
Just tell me!
You want to know? Want me to tell you?
Should I, though?
Rokuro.
Don't fall for his provocations.
Yeah... I know.
I've fought Yuto plenty of times by now.
Enough to realize
that if I let him set the pace, I'm gonna end up losing.
It's pretty dubious that he actually knows who I really am.
I might be pissed, but I'm okay. Don't worry.
What is this?
You're trying to make me mad, aren't you?
Tough luck.
Such obvious taunts won't work on me.
No matter where I come from,
I'm still me!
How boring.
This Roku isn't any fun at all.
Did you end up this way...
because of that girl?
Benio!
You annoy me, so die.
Benio!
Rokuro—
It's no use.
Now that I have the power of the ultimate exorcist, Abe no Seimei,
there's no way you can break a barrier I created using that power.
That new move of yours... Gold Smash, I believe you called it?
It lets you attack an opponent at a distance.
I took some inspiration from that idea.
She'll be beaten to death inside an impenetrable barrier.
Pretty clever, don't you think?
If the barrier can't be broken, I just have to beat you!
Wow, oh, wow!
You can move like that down here? That's really impressive!
But it's going to take more than force of will to beat me.
Benio!
Roku, you don't need that useless girl.
After all, you have me, don't you?
Shut up!
You missed! Anyway, should you really be focusing on me?
Look, your beloved wife is in dire straits.
The Adamantine Raiment can't...
Benio...
I always thought you were totally useless,
but I take that back.
I've found a very good use for you.
You're awfully effective as a tool to shake Rokuro up.
Benio!
Hey, Roku.
Doesn't this remind you of Hinatsuki?
Do you remember that? I mean, how could you forget?
Back then, you couldn't help any of your friends.
And now, you're going to lose someone who's one-of-a-kind...
your darling wife... and you can't do a thing.
This is your fate, Roku.
You bring suffering to everyone you meet.
You shouldn't exist.
That's not true!
Rokuro...
By meeting you... I...
Shut up.
Benio!
Benio! Benio!
Benio...
It's about time I ended this.
Benio...
Wow, do you think she's dead?
Well, she hung in there longer than I expected.
There's no need to be upset, you know.
It's not as if her life was worth anything.
Benio...
Amazing, Roku! You really are the best!
Very good, Roku! Keep it up!
Roku...ro...
Get even angrier. Let me see how serious you get.
That way, you can take your true form...
You're... a Kegare, after all.
Rokuro... is a... Kegare?
Rokuro...
A little more!
Roku... Just a little more and you'll be...
What is this?
To all the high school girls out there watching, here I am!
It's Tsuchimikado Arima!
The Head Exorcist... You're alive?
Well, yes.
What fun would it be for the top exorcist to be taken down that easily?
I must say, Ijika Yuto-kun...
You're as mischievous as ever.
But it's kind of a problem...
I can't have you messing with my valuable Twin Stars.
Bind!
I'm surprised at how dumb the head exorcist is.
If you think this can actually hold me...
I don't, actually.
You're clever enough to deceive Basara...
There's no way I could capture you with a technique like this.
But all I really needed was to get your attention for a second.
Those talismans...
Barrier Dispersal, come forth at once!
Metal
Metal is melted by fire,
Earth
Water
and fire is put out with water...
Fire
No power is truly ultimate,
Wood
but exists in a balance that dictates what can erase it.
That's the balance principal of the five elements, from exorcist studies thereof.
Meaning however unbreakable a barrier may be,
a method exists to, instead, neutralize it.
The "Liberation Spell," which can dispel any barrier...
That's a secret ancestral Tsuchimikado clan technique, isn't it?
Oh-ho?
Wondering how I know about it?
Because the spell power and memories
of your clan's ancestor, Abe no Seimei, are all mine now.
All of them, huh?
Well, unfortunately, I don't have time for a leisurely chat with you.
I'm not letting you get away.
We'll be taking our leave for today.
Aw, I let them get away.
I guess he's the head exorcist for a reason...
Roku, you and I will cross paths again.
I'm sure of that.
Next Episode
Hey! Long time, no seafood!
Y'know, Shakespeare said this:
"And by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks."
Here's hoping that'll work for Rokuro-kun...
The Millennial Dream Melancholic Misanthrope
There's no way it will!
Uh-oh, I made Benio-kun mad!