Full Metal Daemon Muramasa

Revenge

Note: This project is a fairly old work of mine, written and translated back in 2012, when I was still just starting out as a fan translator — as such, it’s not exactly the highest quality work I’ve ever put out, to say the least. I would’ve deleted it long ago, but since people still seem to be interested in it, I decided to keep it, but felt the need to give this quick warning beforehand.

“This is not a story of heroes.”

“And yet… the guilty shall be judged.”

IMPORTANT: This is a continuation of the story right after the end of Chapter 5. You can only read this if you’ve already read the first five “common” chapters. Also: the Kanae-specific events of Chapters 3 and 4 are included in the original summary of Chapter 3-4, because it was the first route I read.)

Well, if you thought Chapter 5 was really long, wait till you read this one. Then again, it *is* the finale, so I suppose it’s only natural that it would be the longest chapter. So here we go, the final chapter of Kanae’s route.

(And since this is only one route of the game… don’t expect everything to be fully explained by the end. I have a strong suspicion that a couple of things that happen in this route are all foreshadowing for the game’s true ending – Muramasa’s route. After all, this is a game meant to be played multiple times, and this is only my first playthrough. Something to keep in mind.)

Okay, now let’s actually get on with the game, shall we.

The narration briefly tells us of a journalist who helped Kageaki locate Aoe in the previous chapter (it happened offscreen, and we’re only told of this now). Why is the game telling us about him? Because he’s Kageaki’s current sacrifice, the innocent person that he murdered this time (in his hospital room, because he was injured by Aoe earlier), shortly after defeating Aoe. I don’t think I need to explain why he did it, the finale of Chapter 5 did that already.

Later, Kageaki and the Chief are called by the prince once again one week after the Enoshima incident from Chapter 4. Kageaki reminds himself that only one more egg remains. That’s two more people to kill: the egg-receiver and Hikaru.

Two more people to murder. Two more evils that I shall vanquish. Two more innocents I will slay.

Then his vision gets blurry for a second. Remember that time in the dojo in Chapter 5 when those two weird images flashed on the screen? He’s getting that same feeling now.

Chief: Are you alright, Kageaki?

Kageaki: I’m… fine. I’m just a bit tired…

So basiaclly, there’s another lengthy political discussion. Here’s the gist of it: Basically, the prince wants to do something about the Rokuhara and the GHQ. Remember the GHQ’s plan? Once the tyrannical rule of the Rokuara, and the citizens’ hatred against them is at its height, they’ll begin their assault as “saviors” and earn the gratitude of Yamato like that. So the plan is to get assassinate Rokuhara leader, Ashikaga Moriuji, completely discard the evil image of the Shogunate along with him, and turn it into something more liberal. If we can then reform the system from within and create a completely new Rokuhara (one that people don’t hate), the GHQ’s plan falls apart. Basically, they want Kageaki to be the one to assassinate Moriuji.

Kageaki is not happy with the idea. He knows that killing Moriuji will trigger Muramasa’s curse and he’ll then have to kill another innocent – for example, Kanae.

Kageaki: ……..

Prince: Let me say this, then, just to ease your mind. I am the one giving this assassination order. In other words: should something happen, all of the responsibilty lies with me, not you. You don’t need to suffer for this, Kageaki.

Kageaki disagrees with that way of thinking.

Prince: Furthermore, I wasn’t simply talking about this mission. What I’ve just said applies to everything you’ve done up until now. Your Ginseigou investigation, too.

Kageaki: Your Highness… do you mean to tell me that…

Chasing after the Ginseigou is my personal mission. It has nothing do with the prince.

Prince: Once you’ve dealt with both Moriuji and the Ginseigou, I’m not planning to send you back to prison. You’ll be allowed to go free.

Wha… what did he just say?

Prince: In other words, you don’t need to worry about any of the consequences. With that said, will you lend us your aid?

Kageaki: Chief…

Chief: You’re not having this conversation with me. Answer to the prince.

Kageaki: No, it’s you I need to talk to. Why did you hide this from me until now? Don’t tell me… that you had this in mind from the very beginning?

Chief: ….Yes. That is correct.

Kageaki: That is not what we had agreed upon…!!

Chief: Watch your tongue. And sit down.

Kageaki: No! I will never forget what happened two years ago! We agreed that once everything was over, you would have me judged by a court of law and executed. Are you planning to break that promise?!

(Wow, talk about self-loathing.)

Chief: I was forced to make that promise so I could keep you in check.

Kageaki: Are you saying all of that was a lie?!

Chief: It is as His Highness says. You have no crimes to answer for. I’m the one who authorized your actions – the responsibility lies with me. The burden of guilt lies only with those who give the order, not the one who carries it out.

Kageaki: But I wasn’t ordered to do anything! I did everything of my own free will!

Chief: Kageaki….

Kageaki: Have you forgotten? The person I killed two years ago… she was your wife! I murdered her with my own two hands! Have you forgotten all that, Kikuchi Akitaka?!

So basically, Chief is Subaru’s husband, and therefore the father of Hikaru and Kageaki.

Chief: That was an accident. Not murder.

Kageaki: It *was* murder. No matter how hard you try to deny it, that is the truth!

Chief: A truth that exists only in your mind, Kageaki. You aren’t a criminal, but an unfortunate victim of circumstance.

Kageaki: So… after all these years, you’ll just… arrrrgggh!!

We hear a sound which I’m assuming is Kageaki punching the wall in his rage.

Chief: I’ll take responsibility for Muramasa. You’ve already done so much, Kageaki. You deserve some peace.

Kageaki: I refuse! I have no need for your pity, your compassion, or your peace! Don’t you understand?! I *want* to be judged! In accordance to all the sins I’ve committed!

Kageaki: I want the death penalty! Justice needs to be served!

Prince: Kageaki. Do you… want to die?

Death. The very thing I’ve encountered countless times. The very thing I’ve given to countless people. The thought alone fills me with unimaginable fear.

Kageaki: I do not. I fear death more than anything.

Prince: Then why do you insist on such a penalty…?

Kageaki: Exactly because I fear it. Executing someone who does not fear death hardly counts as punishment.

Kageaki: Let me have the ultimate punishment! Let me cry in agony and beg for forgiveness from all those who lost their lives because of me! Let justice be served! I beg of you!

Prince. I’ll… have to refuse.

Kageaki: But… Your Highness!!

Prince: Listen to me, Kageaki. I suppose it cannot be helped that your guilty conscience is so tremendously strong. However, what good will come of executing you? Will that help anyone? You won’t atone for anything by blindly rushing towards your death.

Kageaki: I cannot possibly make amends with the dead. However, at least let me suffer the same fate they did!

Prince: That is true, however… I still cannot grant what you demand of me.

Chief: Kageaki. Your death would be without meaning. Instead of throwing your life away, live for the sake of those who aren’t with us anymore. Live life to the fullest in place of those who can’t do so anymore, and thus become a better man.

These two understand nothing. This isn’t a matter of atonement, or making things up to the dead. It is simply a matter of sin and punishment. Those who sin must receive their appropriate punishment. Such is the way of the world.

Subaru. Nitta Yuuhi. Funa. Fuki.

I must receive punishment for the sins I’ve committed.

Kageaki: Your Highness. I will have to refuse the mission you wished to give me earlier. I’ll be taking my leave now.

Fade to black, and we switch to Kanae and Sayo, and Kageaki as well. As the screenshot shows, it is raining.

Kanae: Nice weather, isn’t it?

Sayo: ?

Kanae: Oh? Who decided that rain should be considered terrible weather? It is a blessing to those working in agriculture, and… to those seeking true love as well!

Kanae: Your blouse getting wet with rain, your clothes slowly becoming transparent, your underwear showing…! Ahhh~ A sex appeal that is brought about by the blessing of mother nature – one that never fails to attract the attention of men!

Sayo: Oh! I see, Mistress! That is indeed a truly fearsome strategy! However, there is only a paper-thin line between this and the wild delusions of a female pervert…

Kanae: Hah! Being hesitant in the face of such risk will never earn you the beautiful fruit that is love! In order to harvest that fruit, one has to be bold and courageous!! Am I right, Kageaki? <3

Kageaki: *bored, lifeless tone* Yes…

Kanae: Kyah~! Then, are you willing to welcome my courage with open arms? <3

Kageaki: Yes…

Kanae: Ahhhn~ Did you hear that, Sayo? He finally recognizes my love!

Despite what was going on around me in the world, I was completely absorbed in my thoughts. The prince and the Chief – they had no intention of judging me. They plan to deny me the punishment I truly deserve.

Sayo: Mistress, it seems to me that Lord Minato has fallen into depression… this is not his usual behaviour.

Kanae: Hmm… you are quite right.

…

Kanae: Something must’ve happened during his meeting. Could it be… that he couldn’t get it up?

Sayo: Now wait a second, Mistress…!

Kanae: At a time like this, should I tell him that I love him even if he can’t get an erection?! Will that not hurt his feelings even more?!

Sayo: What does erectile dysfunction have to do with an official meeting of three men?!

Kanae: ……….

Kanae: *see image below*

I carried on walking in complete silence. Even the sound of the rain has become dull and distant to my ears.

Kanae: Kageaki… could we stop here for a moment? This is the way to the Zeniarai Benten Shrine, right? I haven’t had a chance to do any sightseeing since I came to Kamakura, and I’ve never been there before, so…

Sayo: Well, we did go to Enoshima…

Kanae: Well… I wouldn’t really call what happened there a vacation…

Kageaki: Yes, it’s about 10 minutes of walk from here, just down this road. I will escort you there, if you wish.

Kanae: No, no, I’m fine! It’s just down this road, you said? I’ll go on my own. Take care of Kageaki while I’m gone, Sayo.

Sayo: Understood, Mistress.

With umbrella in hand, she quickly trotted off. To be honest, what I I felt at that moment was relief. All I wanted was peace – to merely stand here in the rain, awaiting her return, with my mind completely blank. The elderly lady in my presence took notice of this and decided not to say a word to me while we waited. I do wonder why she didn’t accompany Captain Ootori this time, even though they usually travel everywhere together.

Shortly afterwards, Kanae returns, looking a bit more depressed.

Sayo: Did something happen, Mistress?

Kanae: Well… it’s just that I had a rather unpleasant talk at the shrine…

Sayo: Oh?

Kanae: The head priest showed me a cave entrance near the shrine. He explained that kids considered it the perfect place to play and hang out. He even mentioned that a group of four friends always used to come there to play, but recently…
Sayo: ………

Kanae: …he told me that something terrible happened to those four kids. One of them was killed in the nearby bamboo thicket…

Kageaki: ……….?!

Kageaki freezes in place. He knows all to well what this is about.

Kanae: …another boy got caught up in a certain incident and lost his eyesight… a girl was raped, and finally… the last of the group was found dead in his own home, with his head cleanly cut off…

Sayo: How terrible…

Kanae: Indeed. I wonder what monster of a man would commit such a crime… they were such bright, friendly kids, I was told. I could never forgive anyone who would do such a thing. Never.

Kanae: However, the culprit was never found. Even as we speak, he must be alive somewhere, with the blood of an innocent boy on his hands.

Sayo: How cruel…

Kanae: At this very moment, he might be out there somewhere, roaming the streets in the rain… depressed and devoid of all care towards his surroundings…

Sayo: It is truly a terrible world we live in, that a murderer like this could walk free without recieveing punishment.

Kanae: Indeed…

Kanae: Kageaki… what do you think…?

(Dude, Kageaki. I think she’s onto you.)

The bloody images of all the innocents he killed flash before his eyes and the world begins to spin. Moments later, he passes out.

Why? Why am I the only one alive?! I killed and killed and killed and yet… I am still alive! It makes no sense. It goes against everything that is correct and just. It is truly absurd.

I cannot be forgiven.

I cannot allow myself to be forgiven.

And yet… I was granted forgiveness. I still continue to live.

We then cut to a newspaper article that announces the demise of Ashikaga Moriuji. There are several rumors circling about the cause of death, including an assassination by the GHQ or a plot by Kyoto. It is suspected to be an unnatural death, one that wasn’t due to illness or anything similar. Also, the prince has gone missing or something.

We cut back to Kageaki’s residence. Several days have passed since he passed out. He’s simply been sitting at home, depressed, spending his days in idleness. He completely lost his will to fight.

Suddenly, Kanae calls him on the phone. Kageaki concludes that her business must be really important, since up to now, she’s always told him everything in person.

Turns out she simply wanted his help with a crossword puzzle.

If it was anyone else, I’d be surprsied by this. But this is Kanae we’re talking about.

Okay, so she’s not really an airhead, and quickly directs the conversation towards something more serious. She asks Kageaki if he has heard about Moriuji’s death and the recent GHQ incident in which a high-ranking officer was forced to retire due to some error/mistake.

She informs him that the prince is located at some other temple (can’t remember the name, sorry), and also that he’s going to be attacked by the Rokuhara there very soon (I’m guessing as retaliation for Moriuji).

We switch to said temple. Kanae and Sayo have already arrived. To no one’s surprise, they know all about Kageaki and how he killed innocent people.

Sayo: Do you think he’ll come?

Kanae: Of course he will. This is Kageaki we’re talking about, after all. Lately… he’s been all I could think about.

Kanae: He must be full of regret. It appears he did it all against his will…

Kanae: Despite that, Minato Kageaki cannot be forgiven for killing *him*. Even if he murdered him to save a hundred… I’ll never be able to overlook his crime. If those hundred people all tried to protect him, I’d crush all of them. Who decides that *his* one life should be less important than the lives of a hundred? If the victim himself consented to it, then things would be different… but that isn’t the case here, is it? He was murdered.

Kanae: Like I’ve said… I will never forgive him. Even if I had done the same thing were I in his shoes.

Kanae: Don’t you think it’s utterly selfish? “I’m going to kill you now, but there’s a very good reason for it, so please endure it”…? Ridiculous. The victim is unable to curse anyone. The murderer has no one who will hate him for his crime, either.

Kanae: See, I’m actually grateful to Kageaki from the bottom of my heart. It is all thanks to him that I now feel this boiling desire for revenge – this uncontrollable urge to kill.

Kanae: So… I’ll just have to kill him. Gently, with one strike, without letting him feel any pain.

Kanae: Once it is over… I’ll surely become the target of hate as well. Someone will come to avenge him, and my life will be snatched away the exact same way.

Sayo: And would you not object to such an outcome, Mistress?

Kanae: Of course not! For that is what revenge is all about. It is nothing but an endless, neverending chain of hatred and bloodshed.
….
Kanae: How’s the tea?

Sayo: All done.

Kanae: Ah~ Smells nice~

Kageaki dons Muramasa and hurries over to the temple… however, he is attacked on the way by another mysterious Musha before he can reach his destination (and she has the most annoying, high-pitched, ear-piercing voice I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s unbearable.).

They fight for a bit, then we cut back to Kanae and Sayo. They’re stopped by two Rokuhara soldiers, but Kanae quickly shoots them dead. Reinforcements soon arrive and she’s being surrounded by a dozen soldiers.

She evades all of their bullets (no, I don’t know how), and fires back, killing everyone in a “say hello to my little friend” sort of way.

More soldiers show up.

Soldier: Is that woman the intruder? Look behind her! She dispatched the entire team that was sent here!

Kanae: Oh my, oh my. *looks behind* Oh dear, are these gentlemen taking an afternoon nap by any chance?

Soldier: Kill her!

Kanae: Aren’t you even going to listen to what I have to say?

Solider: Only once you’re crawling on the ground, begging for your life!

Kanae: Oh~ Then you enjoy the same things I do. Oh, I really do love watching men crawl on the ground while they’re dying~

She kills them all.

Kanae: It looks like I’m the only one having fun here, while everyone around me happened to turn into a corpse. Oh my.

More soldiers show up, now all dressed in Tsurugi armors.

Kanae: *cat call whisle*

Kanae: I have to say, though, I’m not the biggest fan of guns. Killing someone is the most enjoyable when you do it with your bare hands. Strangling someone to death is the ultimate pleasure.

Soldiers: And how about getting killed?

Kanae: Oh, I’m sure that’s just as wonderful as well.

Soldiers: Oh, we’re going to make you very happy, then.

Kanae: Oh, but if I do get killed, I’d prefer to have a choice over the one who does it…

Soldiers: We’re not good enough for you, eh?

She then takes out her instrument.

Kanae: Allow me a song at the very end. A farewell song, if you will.

As it turns out, the instrument was her Tsurugi all along.

We cut back to Kageaki, still fighting against the axe-wielding Tsurugi in the air. As it turns out, it’s using neurotoxin. So Kageaki needs to defeat her quickly before he succumbs to the poison.

Eventually, the enemy just uses up all of her energy and falls. Muramasa concludes that her energy levels were dropping/increasing at an abnormal rate before, so she must’ve used some sort of enhancer medicine. And it seems like she overexerted herself.

We’re back with Kanae, who’s busy tearing the Rokuhara soldiers a new one. After she’s done doing that, she runs into Chief. Chief reveals that after Kageaki’s refusal, they abandoned the entire assassination plan. He suspects that Kanae learned the prince’s plan and leaked it to the GHQ, but as it turns out, it was not the case – Kanae says that she didn’t tell anyone. However, Chief says that he’s willing to become a scapegoat and take all the blame. He says he has no intention of running away, and the screen fades to black.

Kageaki lands at the temple and hurries past all the corpses Kanae massacred. Upon arriving at the innermost part of the temple, he instantly freezes up.

[flashback] From now on, I will treat you as my own son. Let us choose a new name for you, then.

Kageaki: N-no…

I tried to deny the cruel sight in front of my eyes. I wanted to reject it. There was no way it could be real.

This must be nightmare.

But if that’s the case… why am I not waking up?

Kageaki: Father…

Chief: “Minato Kageaki”. That will be your new name. Do you like it?

With my tongue completely numbed by the neurotoxin still within my body, I couldn’t even scream my foster father’s name as he fell to ground, lifeless.

The mysterious Musha, using a western-style Tsurugi, turned towards me in silence.

Kageaki: Stop right there. I am not letting you get away.

I am not letting you take another step or draw another breath. I am not letting you leave this place alive.

I’ll fucking kill you.

My strength is slowly being drained away by the poison. As a final, desperate effort, I focus on burning the image of that Musha into my retina.

I engraved onto my very soul a feeling as powerful as true love itself.

Revenge.

….
And then we cut to… whatever the fuck this is:

Okay, so it’s a courtroom.

Chachamaru: Let the trial commence! Accused, step forward.

Kageaki: Here.

Chachamaru: Prosecutor!

Yuuhi: Yo!

Chachamaru: First of all, explain to us the nature of the crime.

Yuuhi: Well, let’s see… Minato Kageaki, the accused, murdered me in cold blood! He did the same thing to two young Emishi sisters! After that, he murdered Ayane Ichijou! He also killed the journalist Tokita Mitsuo. Additionally, he-

Chachamaru: For the love of god, how long are you planning to go on?

Yuuhi: Okay, let’s wrap it up quickly. He also killed his own mother. That is all.

Chachamaru: Thank you. Well then! Defense attorney!

Chief: Present.

Chachamaru: What do you have to say in your client’s defense?

Chief: It couldn’t be helped.

Chachamaru: Say what?!

Chief: Like I said, it was inevitable.

Chachamaru: Right then! I’ll take that into consideration and pronounce the defendant… innocent!

A bit more bickering goes on between Yuuhi, who objects, and the rest.

Chief: So. Did you finally come to your senses and realize the truth of my words?

Chachamaru: Hmm~ Yep, I guess I did. Time to adjourn the court!

Yuuhi: DON’T BE FOOLED SO EASILY

Chachamaru: Aww, but didn’t you pay attention to him? He said the accused had no motive for the murder! He’ll just say sowwy and that will be that!

Yuuhi: Like hell it will be!

Chachamaru: But, but, the justice system is there for the sake of the living, not the dead!

Chief: As expected from our judge. You truly are the embodiment of wisdom.

So anyway, Yuuhi whines a bit more.

Chachamaru: Eh… you know what, okay. Let’s come up with a compromise! Kageaki isn’t guilty so we can’t give him the death penalty… so just kill that defense attorney over there.

Chief: Me? Hmm. If it saves my client, fine.

Yuuhi: Hm, okay.

Kageaki interrupts them and goes on about how he should be judged, etc. etc. We’ve already been over this, no need for me to translate it again. However, he lacks voice acting.

Chachamaru: Huh? I can’t hear a word of what he’s saying. Well, whatever. Executioner~ Come on~

Kanae enters the courtroom in her Tsurugi, shoots Chief and we cut back to the real world:

Why…? Why is it that people who deserve to live die, while I still go on living? Is there no justice in this world!? When will my torment end?

Is suicide my only option?

Is there no way a sinner can recieve the punishment he deserves?

If good people fall, and evil triumphs… if that is how the world works…

Then this world is doomed.

 

He then wakes up in this place:

Kageaki: Where… am I?
Before that mystery is explained though, we jump to Kanae and Clive.
Clive: So, it seems like you let the prince escape.

Kanae: I am truly sorry.

Clive: Well, it is hardly an issue. As long as he is forced into hiding and stops his meddling, that is more than enough for the moment. While he’s doing that… we will set our plans into motion. In any case, good work. You are dismissed.

Kanae: Yes, sir.

After she leaves:

Clive: Hmm. Did the prince escape? Or did someone let him escape? It hardly matters. The same goes for all the casualties. However, as for our prisoner, Minato Kageaki.. Hmm… what shall I do with you…?
Alright, finally we’re back with Kageaki in his cell. At first, he speculates that it might a hospital, but once he makes some noise, a nearby guard tells him to shut the hell up, so he quickly concludes that he is indeed in confinement. He tries calling out to Muramasa, but there is no answer. Which is strange, because the two of them should be able to communicate telepathically. It’s possible that she was destroyed, he thinks. However, He also notices that he’s not poisoned anymore, which was most likely thanks to Muramasa… in any case, the bottom line is that he can’t come to a firm conclusion regarding her well-being just yet.

Soon after he’s done thinking it over, Kanae enters the cell.

Kageaki is hanging upside down from the ceiling.

Kanae: Ahhhhh! W-what are you doing up there?

Kageaki: It’s just a daily exercise that I usually do at my other cell, too.

Sayo: Your… “other” cell?

Kageaki: Don’t worry about that.

Kanae tells him that this is Yokohama, the main headquarters of the GHQ. She and Sayo brought him and Muramasa (who’s also safe, just confined in another room) here. Kageaki wonders why they aren’t letting him get in touch with Muramasa and keeps asking questions, one after the other.

Kanae’s facial expression wasn’t that of a person who is at a loss for words. Rather, she seemed to be enjoying this.

Kageaki concludes that when it came down to a clear opposition between the prince and the GHQ, she simply took the GHQ’s side, obviously.

The only remaining question… is the reason behind the animosity between the GHQ and the prince. And one more thing – why I am still kept alive.

Kageaki: Captain Ootori. Would you enlighthen me regarding the mystery of why I am alive?

Kanae: Well… because your heart is beating?

Igoring her jest, I continued.

Kageaki: Capturing me should’ve been very easy. Killing me even more so.

(Remember the poison, and that he was unconscious for the last who knows how many hours.)

Kanae: I had my own reasons. First of all, I was instructed to bring you here.

Kageaki: Instructed by someone? And who would that be?

Kanae: Professor Wolf, an advisor for the Department of Natural Resources. Are you two not acquainted?

Kageak: No…

Kanae: I wonder why he had an inerest in you. In any case, there’s another reason. A personal one.

I finally understood what she meant. It was something I have suspected for a while now. This person… truly detests me.

Kanae: It’s because… I couldn’t let you die that easily.

She uttered the words with a devilish smile on her face.

Kageaki: Captain. The small village where we first met… doesn’t exist anymore. It was destroyed. Since then, a lot has happened. However, I cannot quite figure out the reason for your hatred towards me. Because there *is* a reason for it, am I correct?

Kanae: Of course there is. A very simple, easily graspable reason.

Kageaki: I must have commited an extremely serious crime to anger you to that extent. Would you enlighten me?

 Kanae: Yes. But I must warn you, it’s going to be a long story…

Kageaki: As you can see, I have all the time in the world at the moment.

So we get some narration.

The Ootori family had always been a respected and extremely powerful family, producing many a noble Musha. The reason for their continued strength is due to the fact that they were able to maintain their unity and not fall prey to internal power struggles. However, that seems to have changed in recent years. In the times preceding the great war, the head of the family was an extreme right wing idealist, possessing tremendous influence within the country. The country was under pressure from outside, and when the war broke out, he had the power to steer Yamato in a direction coinciding with his own interests.

However, his younger brother (Kanae’s father) disagreed with his views and decided to oppose him and take over. He succeded, and his older brother was soon imprisoned, where he eventually died. Rumors were abound that he had been assassinated. Kanae’s father took over and attempted to reconcile with the continent. The Ootori family had to face a tremendous amount of opposition, especially from within. The tradition of protecting the unity of the family had shattered to pieces. The new head had to deal with both internal conflict and external pressure. His efforts and political activity was seemingly fruitless.

The Ootori of those times had to resort to welcoming an adopted son into their family. His name was Shishiku, a man much loved by the head of the family. However, Shishiku was secretly planning a coup d’état of his own in order to take over. For that reason, he tried searching for the family head’s child, the legitimate successor. However, it was all in vain. Taking the men under his direct control, he attacked and killed the old head of the family and appointed his second daughter, Hanae, in his place as a puppet. However, the person pulling the strings from the shadows was, needless to say, Shishiku.

Kanae was at the time studying abroad and he only returned home this year as a GHQ officer.

Kageaki: The reason you returned to Yamato… is to take revenge for your father?

Kanae: Yes, that is a fact I cannot deny.

There are other reasons, she says – one is her obligation as a noble to help and protect the citizens of Yamato. There’s also her sister.

Sayo: Ah, I still remember Lady Hanae – what a devilish child she was. She truly is very much like you, Mistress. I wonder how it was possible that two vixens were born from the union of such good, kind parents. It’s almost like you weren’t their real daughters, but rahter children who were simply found on the side of the road.

Kanae: A-hahaha… Sayo… I’m starting to question your definition of a good master and servant relationship, you know. Ahahaha…

So as you can see, there’s really no need to “protect” Hanae, she can take care of herself.

The person she really came to Yamato to protect is their male cousin, the legitimate successor Shishiku has been searching for these past few years.

Kanae: However, he was living with another family, leading a peaceful daily life, distant from the Ootori household, completely oblivious of his true heritage.

(Wait a second. Wait. A fucking. Second. I think I’m starting to suspect where this is going.)

Kanae: I wanted to protect him. With all my strength. And yet, I failed…

Kageaki: …….

Kanae: My beloved cousin, the boy whom I’d do anything to protect… was called Yuuhi.

(Knew it. Karma is a bitch, eh Kageaki? So that’s why she handed him that ticket in Chapter 1. I thought it was strange, just giving it to a stranger. But in fact, she wanted to save him without revealing her true identity, in order to protect him.)

Kanae: However, he died. In a place far from me, Hanae, or Shishiku. He died… just like that. But I needn’t tell you this. You know about it more than anyone else, don’t you… Kageaki?

Sayo: Or should we say… Muramasa. I took the liberty of looking into that argument you had with Sorimachi Ichizou the other day. You are affected by a truly fearsome curse, if I do say so myself.

Kanae: You just had to use that cursed Tsurugi, didn’t you? You couldn’t allow a horror like Ginseigou to implant any more eggs into people. You had to kill them all… right? To prevent them from becoming like the silver demon. But doing so, you also had to slay an equal amount of innocents… Oh, it must’ve been so painful. It must’ve been unbearable.

She reached out toward me with a hand and stroked my cheek in an affectionate way.

Kanae: However… I cannot forgive you. You killed him. You forcefully robbed him of his precious life.

Kageaki: Y-you…

My legs were trembling. What immense murderous intent… what immense desire to kill. This woman devoted her very being to taking revenge on me.  With a complete lack of forgiveness.

Certain death awaited me.

Kageaki continues to panic for a bit, but then musters the strength to speak.

Kageaki: You know all about Muramasa and Ginseigou. You fully understand why I did what I did. And yet, you desire to kill me?

Kanae: Yes.

Kageaki: I beg of you… I will devote my remaining life to atone for my sins… I will crawl at your feet and beg for forgiveness…

Kanae: No. I will never forgive you.

Kageaki: ……..!

Kanae: I will wait until the Ginseigou incident is taken care of. Until then, I’m willing to co-operate. Of course, I cannot allow you to perish without resistance… I would never do anything as cruel as that. Feel free and use that Tsurugi of yours. As you can no doubt see, I also have my own-

Before she can finish the sentence, this happens:

Kageaki: Thank you…

Kanae: …huh?

Kageaki: From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful for your very existence. For being here for me. Thank you…

An unquenchable desire to kill me. Revenge for Nitta Yuuhi. A woman harboring nothing but pure hatred for the man called Minato Kageaki.
She is… perfect.
She is the one most fit to judge me. To punish me. To carry out my death sentence. The perfect executioner.

There is true justice in this world. A force to punish evil.

I couldn’t hope to ask for any more than that.

Kageaki: Ootori Kanae. I entrust my entire being to you. How I live, how I die… I leave everything in your hands. I’m begging you… become the one to wield the blade of judgement that shall carry out my punishment!

Ootori Kanae was at a loss for words. He expected the man to cry in agony, to beg for his life, to hang his head, ready to die.

Gratitude was the very last thing she expected from Minato Kageaki.

This… she couldn’t understand. She could not make sense of this man.

(So I’m guessing when Kageaki was begging for his life, he was simply testing her, to see how firm her resolution was.)

We cut to another location, where Prof. Wolf (who goes on and on about how he wants to take off teh pants of young girls) is talking to Chachamaru. After a bit of verbal sexual harassment, they get to the point. Chachamaru mentions something about a “princess” awakening, and Wolf plans to mobilize GHQ forces for some reason. It’s part of their plan or something. They also talk about a certain “Gadget” or equipment, or machine or whatever that they’re planning to use to bring about the “Golden Dawn”. It’s all very vague and cryptic, but these things usually make sense later on.

We switch back to Kageaki, who’s being locked up in another room. To kill some time, he picks up what appears to be a research article on Tsurugi manufacturing, and begins reading it. It’s a rather long read, but a sufficiently interesting one that I think will play an important role in the story, so I tried to translate as much of it as possible.

The article goes into detail about the manufacturing process of the Tsurugi, and speculates that they could be considered proper living beings, a species of their own. Draining the energy of their wearer and thus sustaining themselves could be considered a sort of metabolism for them. He brings up a few counterexamples as well: for example, if Tsurugi are living beings, why do they obey their masters without question? That would make them machines. Additionally, they are incapable of reproduction. Despite that, the writer of the article (who I’m pretty sure is Wolf) is convinced that Tsurugi are living beings – it is a possibilty that they are imperfect beings, hence why they can’t reproduce. He draws parallel between Tsurugi and a leopon (crossbreed of lion and leopard, look it up, it was new to me as well). Of course, he says, the method of reproduction in such a case is the forging process itself.

So, how do Tsurugi reproduce? (I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence.) The key, according to the article, is water. Or at least someting that is in water. Also, especially the water of eastern Asia. The article then goes on to paint a picture for us: imagine a cave in the depths of Asia, where the blaksmith is doing his forging business, enduring the heat and the pain. In the cave, there is an underground spring/pond/whatever. He submerges himself in it, and the cold water comes in contact with hot steel. The cave is englufed by steam. And then, that *something* contained within the water comes into contact with the steel and the blacksmith. They all become one, and a Tsurugi is born. It is a process akin to caterpillar fungi, who release their spores as “parasites” into other living beings, mostly insects. (Remember that Ginseigou-affected Tsurugi are referred to as “Kiseitai”, meaining parasite? I wonder if there’s a connection between this and how Ginseigou seemingly “reproduced” in Chapter 4 with that egg.) The spores induce a miraculous transformation that turns insect into part mushroom, not unlike the blacksmith, who becomes a Tsurugi, a fusion of steel and human. The question is: during the Tsurugi forging process, what corresponds to the “spores”? The answer is simple: that *something* in the water that we talked about earlier.

Kageaki looks up for a moment after feeling something weird. There is still no one else in the room. He turns his attention back to the paper. In the corner of one of the pages, he notices this scribbling:

[Mein ...... Machthabar ...... Kristallnacht]

I’m pretty sure that’s German, and I think we all know what Kristallnacht is. The hell does that have to do with anything here? Hmm.

And then, she shows up, just out of nowhere.

Possibly she’s the source of the strange presence/feeling Kageaki felt a while ago.

Kageaki: …Excuse me?

No answer. Is she a statue? I reached out with a finger and touched her face. It was soft, and warm. I felt the warmth of a living body. Without a doubt, she was a living being.

Chachamaru flashes into Kageaki’s mind for a moment. For what reason, I’ve no idea.

Then Wolf enters the room.

Wolf: Ah, so this is where you ran off to, my darling little girl! I should not be surprised, though. This is just how life works – a little bird had always been safely tucked away in the nest; the lost wallet, too, will eventually be found to be right under our noses. Now go, little one. Time for the young ones to go to sleep. Grab your pajamas and off to bed with you! Don’t forget to take off your underwear, though! That bit is essenital. Run along now!

(What’s up with this pervert.)

Without uttering a single word, the girl left the room.

Wolf: Why do people use underwear? Everyone wears it, without exception. As if it was God’s will. But weren’t we all born naked? Can a person make love in underwear? Can a person do his business in the toilet in underwear?

Kageaki: In some rare cases, they can.

Wolf: Hah! How perverse would that be!

So then they actually start talking about why Wolf had Kageaki taken here. He simply asks whether or not he’s… um, healthy. Kageaki replies that he is, and Wolf says that they’re done, this is all he needed to know. Kageaki asks inquires about why he asked him that, and Wolf simply replies that it’s because he has high expectations for him, and Yamato in general. Um, okay then.

Kageaki goes back to his cell, but shortly after that, Kanae comes and invites him for a walk. Kageaki starts talking about the architecture of the military base, but Kanae is somewhat zoned out, not really paying attention.

Kageaki: Are you well, Captain?

Kanae: *blushing* Ah, I’m f-fine…

Kageaki: We can go the infirmary at once should the need arise.

Kanae: Ah, n-no, there’s no need for that, I’m totally fine! Absolutely fine! Ahaha…

Kageaki: Captain. To me, you are one of a kind. An important, irreplaceable person. Please, for my sake as well, pay more attention to your own health.

Sayo: You seem to be acting rather weird, Mistress.

Kanae: W-what are you t-talking about? I’m not different from how I usually act! Not at all!

A bit later, Kagekai witnesses the execution of Cobden for conspiring, corruption and revolt (apparently he was bribed by the prince and Chief to blow up a base) Kageaki then asks Kanae if she knows anything about a demonic-looking Musha (the one using the neurotoxin), but she doesn’t know much.

Kageaki: If I only I could’ve dealth with that Musha faster… I might have been able to save my father…

Kanae: Eh? Y-your father?

Kageaki: Yes. I’m sure you’ve heard of the incident involving a police chief being murdered at the temple the other day.

Sayo: Yes. I do believe his corpse was identified. His name was Kikuchi Akitaka, I believe?

Kageaki: That is correct. He was my foster father, to whom I owed a great deal.

Kanae: *visibly shaken up*

Sayo: But, his family name is different…

Kageaki: Due to certain circumstances, he had to leave the Minato household. Afterwards, he returned to his original family name. *in a bitter/angry tone* However, he was murdered by that knight…

Kanae: …………
We cut to GHQ dude talking to Wolf. They’re basically scheming and planning and stuff.The operation called Golden Dawn refers to their attempt to take control of Yamato. Basically, their ultimate objective. Clive questions the loyalty of Wolf to their cause, but other GHQ dude reassures him.

We cut to Kageaki. Clive visits him in his cell and requests his assistance – basically, he wants Kageaki to co-operate with the GHQ. While he admits that the GHQ did try to eliminate him on Enoshima, the past is in the past. Since the prince is in hiding and Chief died, he has no allies at the moment. Allying with the GHQ could become an opportunity to restore the honor of the Musha and become a hero in the eyes of the people. Kageaki is hesitant.

Clive: Surely you don’t belive that leaving the country in the hands of the Rokuhara is a good thing?

Kageaki: I could say the same about the GHQ. This is merely a choice between getting shot by a foreigner’s gun and being decapitated by my own homeland’s blade.

Clive: I can understand where you’re coming from. However, which would you prefer: freedom while enduring hardships? Or blissful slavery?

Kageaki still doesn’t accept, but Clive tells him it’s okay to decide after they crush the Rokuhara.

Afterwards, we see Clive in a private discussion with Sorimachi. The latter reports his failure against Kageaki, while Clive orders him to continue searching for him. Sorimachi mentions he could be anywhere, maybe even at this base. Clive tells him he can search the base as well if he wants, but Sorimachi says there’s no way he’d be here (yeah, about that…). Clive basically gives Sorimachi the order – “find and kill Minato Kageaki, he’s a hinderance to the GHQ” and then Sorimachi fucks off. Goddamit Clive.

And then, Muramasa to the rescue – she breaks down the wall or something and helps Kageaki escape from his cell.

He flies off, and we get a lengthy flashback:

Kageaki is telling Kanae that he refused Clive’s offer because he fears that it will make Yamato a target for Russia. He also mentions that he doesn’t quite trust Clive – to Kageaki, he seems like a person who constantly hides his true intentions. He also believes that the people of Yamato should solve their problems with their own hands, without relying on a foreign country. If a war breaks out to serve the goals of a foreign power, ending that war will also depend on the convenience of that foreign power, which is dangerous. In other words, the ones who must liberate the people of Yamato must be the Rokuhara, otherwise the country will become a ballpark of foreign powers.

So basically, in a nutshell, this whole Golden Dawn business involves bombing the shit out of the Rokuhara with some aerial warship of sorts. If I remember correctly, a bunch of Rokuhara dudes will be present at the memorial service of Moriuji at the Fudaraku castle. So bombing that place is ideal for them. With the Rokuhara’s military power lost, they will have to surrender to the incoming GHQ forces.

Kanae: Shall we steal the bomb, take it as far away as possible and blow it up? Two young lives will end tragically, but their love shall last forever!

Kageaki: Very well.

Kanae: …eh?

Kageaki: If that is your wish, I have no objections whatsoever.

Kanae: *blushes*

Kageaki: Captain?

Kanae: N-nothing! Ahem! In any case, I doubt there will be a need for that.

Flashback over.

We’re back with Kageaki, wearing Muramasa and flying towards the airship/zeppelin/whatever mentioned in the flashback.

Muramasa: Wow, it’s huge!

Kageaki: For a military vessel it’s actually relatively small.

Muramasa: It looks like a floating castle! Unbelievable!

Kageaki: The basic principle is rather simple, actually. That balloon contains a gas lighter than air.

Muramasa: I’m only now starting to realize how much the times have changed…

Kageaki: Let us search for the one controlling this thing. We can buy some time by changing its course and use it to search for the bomb. Muramasa. Do you sense any enemies in the vicinity?

Muramasa: Negative. It is only us.

And then they’re attacked. Needless to say, Muramasa is surprsied.

Muramasa: Eh? Huh? Wha-? A-am I going senile or something?

If anyone was growing senile here, it was me. Captain Ootori had already told me that the enemy possessed the technology of invisibility.

Muramasa: What now?

Kageaki: We’ll enter the ship immediately!

Muramasa: From where?

Kageaki: Right there! Once we’re in, we’ll improvise!

Muramasa: Y-You mean we’ll just storm in there and hope for the best?!

Kageaki: Affirmative!

We briefly cut to Doushin and Raichou, when a random underling storms into their room and informs them that Ginseigou has appeared. Well shit. This isn’t going to end well.

Then we’re back with Kageaki, who managed to shake off his two pursuers and inflitrate the ship by blowing a small hole in the wall.

He begins his search for the bomb, and eventually meets up with Kanae and Sayo. So the three of them continue on together.

So this is sort of a puzzle. You kinda have to figure out where to go and what to do, and which items to get. So basically, we encounter a lone guard, knock him out, get a bottle of gin from another room, hand it to the drunk, half-conscious captain who promptly drinks it and passes out. This gives us an opportunity to search his pockets and get the key needed to progress further. We use the key to open a secret door in the floor – and it leads to the chamber where the bomb is being kept.

 

They are then found by two GHQ soldiers, who aim a gun at them. Kanae does the same.

Kanae: Stop right there. I wouldn’t do that if I were you. See, I might just shoot this bomb over here, and we’ll all be goners.

Soldiers: Do you honestly think that thing will detonate from a single shot?

Kanae: True, that might be the case. However, this man here will draw his sword and make sure it does. Right, Kageaki?

Kageaki: Right.

In any case, they also decide to buy some time. As long as they preserve this stalemate, they won’t be able to prepare the bomb to be dropped.

Kanae: 10 minutes is all we need. It will be enough for the airship to fly past its target. They won’t be able to drop the bomb then.

Kageaki: However, there’s a possibility that the airship will simply stop at its destination and wait there for the order to drop it.

Kanae: The Rokuhara aren’t complete fools, Kageaki. Think about it – if they saw a GHQ airship simply waiting in one place above the Fudaraku castle, they would no doubt start to become suspicious. I highly doubt that Lieutenant Canon would allow this operation to be started without considering that potential risk.

Kageaki: I see.

Kanae: So, as I said, we’ll just have to stall them for 10 minutes. That will guarantee our victory.

Kageaki: What if the enemy manages to get the upper hand somehow?

Kanae: In that case, I’d like you to do that thing I threatened them with earlier.

Kageaki: You mean… are you really prepared to detonate it…?

Kanae: If we’re lucky, it won’t detonate. Furthermore, even it should come to that, in its damaged state, the bomb’s explosive power will decrease. Besides, we’re in the air. Those on the ground will not be harmed.

Kageaki: But…

Kanae: No buts.

Kageaki: However, it was I who proposed this operation in the first place! I must deal with this situation personally. You should look for a parachute somewhere and escape.

Kanae: And it was me who was moved by your words regarding the future of Yamato, and decided to help you. I bear the name of Ootori. I will do anything to help save this country.

Kageaki: Have you forgotten that I’ve already placed my life in your hands? I will do this alone.

Kanae: And don’t *you* still have something you must settle, no matter what? The case of the Ginseigou, for example.

So anyway, they agree that they’ll both try to survive, when suddenly, Clive himself shows up.

Clive: *turns to the soldiers* Good work. I’ll take it from here.

Soldiers: Yes sir!

Clive: Well well. Might I ask what you are doing here?

Kanae: Oh, nothing. Just decided to go for a walk. A little bird told me there’d be a magnificent fireworks show soon.

Clive: Oh, really? If you wished to see the fireworks, you should’ve told me earlier. I’m afraid all the best seats are already taken.

Kanae: No need to worry about that. I’m not here for the purpose of sightseeing, anyway.

Clive: Is that so? What might your true intentions be, then?

Kanae: Well, you see… I got this wild idea of pouring water on the fireworks! Like this… *she gestures towards Kageaki*

Clive: Surely you jest! If you do that, the fireworks will be ruined!

Kanae: And what if I told you that was exactly my intention…?

Clive: What a shame that would be. I truly thought you were one of us.

Kanae: Well, I happened to change my mind.

Clive: I see… however, I assume you didn’t plan all of this alone? That brooding loverboy over there was part of it, I’m sure. He was the one who snatched you away from me, right?

Kanae: You are very insightful indeed. However, me and Kageaki are bound together by the power of true love! <3

Clive: You truly are a fearsome man, Minato Kageaki! Let us settle this with a gentlemanly duel! Now, where did I put my white handkerchief…

Kageaki starts to get suspicious. Our objective is to buy time – Clive should be trying to put an end to that. So why is he here, having a chat with us here instead of doing something about it? It makes no sense. The answer is simple – the ones who needed to buy some time were not us, but him. By losing so much time, we’ve lost our opportunity to recover the bomb. Clive says the thing in front of us is already empty, and “The Gadget” has already been deployed.

So basically, the bomb is dropped and Fudaraku blows sky high, killing everyone in there. (including Doushin and Raichou, I’m assuming.)

(Also, Ginseigou does something weird as well, see screenshots. Some kind of space-time bending/black hole conjuring nonsense? And she kinda… flies into it? I have no idea.)

We then see Shishiku with Prince Kuniuji, successor and new leader of the Rokuhara. Shishiku assures him that not all is lost, and as long as Kuniuji lives, the Rokuhara lives on.

Then we’re with Kageaki, who’s at Sayo’s family mansion with Kanae, Sayo and Sayo’s brother (old dude in the screenshot below). Kageaki then quickly recounts the events that led up to this point: they failed to stop the bomb, it was dropped, and the blast was so strong that the airship was forced to do an emergency landing. He, Kanae and Sayo escaped during that chaos. Also, as we already know, Shishiku and Kuniuji survived.

Kageaki goes to see Kanae, who, the other day during their escape, took a bullet for Kageaki and is now in bed. However, as it turns out, she managed to recover rather quickly. Kageaki firmly demands that Kanae doesn’t do anything like that ever again – she is the person who is supposed to judge him, and therefore, he cannot let her die. Kanae doesn’t quite understand why Kageaki would go to such lengths to protect a woman like her, who has killed coutless men int he past.

Kanae: The men I have killed far outnumber the lives you have taken, Kageaki. My sins outweigh yours.

Kageaki: Let me ask you this, Captain. Have you ever murdered an innocent child in her sleep?

Kanae: Never.

Kageaki: Or an elderly man who has done you no harm?

Kanae: N-no…

Kageaki: Or a bed-ridden person who doesn’t even have the strength to stand on his own two legs?

Kanae: ……….

Kageaki: I have done all those things. You, as a woman in the military, will die a soldier’s death. I, on the other hand, deserve a miserable death befitting my sins. Never forget that.

After Kanae is left alone, we are given a quick peek into her mind.

 Minato Kageaki will die by the hands of Ootori Kanae.

For her, it is the ideal conclusion. Justice. She will compelte her revenge, and the balance of good and evil will be maintained.

If that is the case, however… why did she protect him that day? Because she couldn’t allow someone else to kill him? No. If she had been less fortunate, the bullet might’ve hit a vital part and she would’ve died. The one longing for revenge would’ve given up her own life to save the one she should be taking revenge on. A ridiculous outcome.

Then why? – she questioned herself. She finally returned to her homeland and could exact revenge on him… so why is she so full of doubt?

Is it because she had murdered his foster father? Even in that case, if he found out the truth, the two of them would clash, and the heavens would decide whose revenge would be favored that day. She would be comfortable with either outcome.

…

In the end… will I be able to take revenge?
We very briefly cut to a forest, where a bunch of Rokuhara soldiers are patrolling. They are lamenting the fact that their homeland will soon become a battlefield… when they hear a suspicious noise in the distance. Two of them go to investigate, only to be ambushed and killed by Sorimachi.

Fade to black, and we’re back with Kageaki at the mansion, talking with Kanae.

She tells him that there were sightings of Ginseigou near the center of the explosion, and the explosion itself might be connected to her. Also, Shishiku has announced the marriage of Hanae (Kanae’s sister) and Kuniuji. He’s planning to take full control of the Rokuhara and prepare for a decisive battle against the GHQ.

She says that Yamato’s future cannot be entrusted to a man like him, she proposes the idea of assassinating Shishiku. He is the only key figure left alive in the Rokuhara (the rest all died in the explosion), so his death would lead to the Shogunate’s downfall. Kageaki worries that this will give an ample opportunity for the GHQ to invade, however, he quickly realizes that the Shogunate’s downfall would actually take away the reason behind their invasion. Once the Rokuhara is in ruins, there will be no more need for “saviors” like the GHQ. Even if they did attack, they would never be accepted by the people of Yamato.
Kageaki: Forcing death on one person to save the lives of countless others… it is something I am all too familiar with.

Kanae: You mean… Muramasa’s curse…

Kageaki: Yes. What I have been doing up to now and Shishiku’s assassination… The two are no different in my eyes.

Kanae: I’m not surprised you feel that way. In fact, I’m relieved. I don’t know what I would’ve said if you had agreed with my plan. Regardless of how I try to present it, whether it’s by saying that it’s for the sake of the people or the future of Yamato, this is nothing more than a personal battle between me and him. I’ve already contacted Nagakura, you are free to stay here at the mansion.

Kageaki: I’ll have to refuse.

Kanae: ….hm?

Kageaki: Please, allow me to accompany you.

Kanae: I have my own battles to take care of, you see. The Ginseigou. Whatever it is that was sighted at the site of the explosion… I have to confirm if it was related to her. All the more so if it turns out to be her remains.

I look up at the sky and take a deep breath. I have a very strong feeling that this journey will be the last. Once I’ve dealth with the Ginseigou, there is only one more thing left to do. Minato Kageaki must shoulder the consequences of his sins. At long last, I will be granted that wish.

Kanae: Kageaki…? What’s wrong?

Kageak: Nothing. I’ve just been thinking… about how glad I am to have met you.

Kanae: ………

And then we’re off on our journey. By train. Which is cool. I like trains.

Kanae: Kageaki…

Kageaki: Yes?

Kanae: Why don’t we… just take off somewhere? The two of us?

Somewhere. What she really meant was – somewhere *else*. Away from the fires of war, our mission to stop Shishiku and my duty to defeat Ginseigou. Running away from all responsibilities, not as Ootori Kanae and Minato Kageaki, but as two nameless travelers who live for their own desires, blending into this endless stream of people we call the world.

Kanae: It was just a joke.

Kageaki: ……..

Kanae: Just… a joke.

Kageaki: Aimlessly wandering from east to west, from west to east… it might end up being an unexpectedly enjoyable journey.

Kanae: Well then… let’s do that, one day.

Kageaki: Yes. One day, surely.

We nodded in agreement, knowing all too well that such a day would never come.

Kageaki continues staring out the window, when he sees a man’s reflection in it. Surprised, he immediately turns around, but the man isn’t there anymore. He goes off to investiagte, and guess who appears before him – Sorimachi Ichizou.

The two of them trashtalk each other for a bit, then Sorimachi pulls a lever and runs off into the following train car. Basically, he disconnected Kageaki’s train car from the rest of the train, and now they’ve stopped on a bridge. Kageaki suspects there might be a bomb on the bridge, but that is not the case – the answer to the mystery quickly appears in the form of the neurotoxin-wielding beastlike Tsurugi, who proceeds to blow up the bridge, causing Kageaki and co.’s train to fall into the river.

Kageaki decides he’s not gonna let that happen, so he dons Muramasa immediately and tries to stop the train with his bare hands:

Muramasa: You’re crazy!!

The train however, keeps pushing Kageaki further towards the gap in the middle of the bridge.

At this rate, I’m going to fall, along with the train.

I cannot let that happen. I will not let her die!

In the next scene, we see him flying full speed at the beastlike Tsurugi, attacking it in a berserker rage. The trains ended up falling, and thinking that Kanae is dead, he’s mighty pissed. Oh, and this neurotoxin wielding Tsurugi is being piloted by some -possibly underage- girl with a high pitched voice. Not sure if I’ve mentioned that before.

I cannot hear the voice of my enemy anymore. The more I see her, the stronger my hate becomes. I cannot let her live. I cannot let her exist in this world for another second!

Muramasa: Midou, calm down! Please!!

You bastard.

Muramasa: Midou, please!!

I’ll fucking kill you.

Muramasa: Listen to me! Are you planning to kill her?

Kageaki: And what if I am?!

Muramasa then continues talking in a more gentle tone, in order to calm him down.

Muramasa: Listen to me. Don’t forget who we are. We are Muramasa. Remember what happens when we kill an enemy. So please calm down! We don’t yet know for sure if she’s died or not!

We very briefly cut to the forest, where Sorimachi is spectating the fight. He is then ambushed and knocked out by Sayo, who apparently possesses ninja-level martial arts skills. Not bad for an old lady.

Sayo: No matter how I look at it, that female Musha is tremendously inexperienced. She is no match for Lord Minato.

Sorimachi *from the ground*: *cough* Well… about that… Ahahaha….

Then we’re back with Kageaki and his battle against the mysterious female Musha.

After hearing Muramasa’s words, he comes to his senses, and begins fighting with the purpose of simply disarming, not killing the female Musha. She then unleashed a special attack by breaking off into 4 separate parts, all of them piloted by a different person. Eventually, they run out of power just like last time, and begin to fall down, inculding the female one. Kageaki orders her to retreat, but she just laughs and begins a final suicide attack. It fails, and she begins falling towards the ground.

As the Tsurugi’s armor crumbles, the girl piloting it is slowly revealed.

Kageaki: Kurusuno… Konatsu?!

It’s Konatsu. (If you don’t rememeber who that is, I urge you to re-read Chapter 1.) I have to say, I didn’t see this coming at all. Her voice was a lot more high-pitched compared to her normal talking voice, and coupled with the fact that it sounded a bit metallic/muffled (since she was under thick armor)… well, let’s just say I’m sufficiently shocked by this revelation.

Konatsu: I’ll never forgive you… *cough* Never…

(I’m saying this for the second time now, but karma sure is a bitch. Seems like it’s the central theme of this game, eh?)

Flashback time to the hospital.

I am in a hospital room. My body and mind are in ruins. I don’t want to get up anymore.

Next to me are two people – my parents. Doing their best to force out a smile, they look down at me and tell me to get better.

I wonder how I’m supposed to do that.

They go on to tell me how relieved they are that Yuuhi made it out alive as well.

Yuuhi. That name is the only thing that pours strength into my withered heart.

For the first time in a long while, I began to talk. Can I see Yuuhi? – I asked. They replied that I could.

I want to see him. That become my only goal. When I see him… surely, something in me will change. I can go back to who I was before, with a fresh start. So I watied. I waited for the time to come when I can fnally see him again. With that thought in my mind, I finally felt relief.

I waited and waited… but he never came.

My parents left, and I could hear bits and pieces of their conversation in the neighboring room.

“Even Yuuhi was…”

“Unbelievable…”

Ever since then, my parents stopped visiting me. They were afraid – afraid that I would start asking questions, and they would have to answer.

One day, a man showed up in my hospital room.

“They didn’t tell you? Yuuhi died.”

I didn’t understand what he was saying. It made no sense to me. So I didn’t answer.

“As I said, he died. In other words, he isn’t going to come visit you, no matter how long you wait for him.”

Liar! – I replied. I was in denial.

“He was murdered, you know.”

That’s a lie, I dont’ believe it, I don’t I don’t I don’t I dont!

Without uttering another word, he reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper. It read:

[Death certificate - Nitta Yuuhi]

No… I don’t believe a word of what you’re saying. He didn’t die! My parents told me he made it out safely! That he wasn’t killed by Suzukawa!

“Well, that’s the thing… the culprit wasn’t Suzukawa.” – the man replied.

He then showed me another piece of paper.

[Kantou Detention House - prisoner #48]
[Charges: Murder of Nitta Yuuhi]
[Name: Minato Kageaki]

“Nitta Yuuhi was murdered by Minato Kageaki.” – the man said.

No! Nooo! Stop lying to me! I don’t believe it! Noooo!

Why is it written there so plainly on this document?

It’s written there, even though it’s not true… It’s… not true… it cannot be true…

Yuuhi didn’t come to visit me. He never did. He never will.

I want to see him. I want to be with him… I want to be close to him, like back then…

He was always there for me. Until the very end, he was there for me.

why doesn’t he come to visit me?

“Because he was murdered by Minato Kageaki.”

Minato… Kageaki…?

Minato…

Kageaki…

Back to the present.

Minato… Kageaki—!!

She screamed my name in a voice filled with anger and pure hatred.

Revenge.

I will never forgive you!! NEVER–!!

A long, earth-shattering scream.

With all his strength, Kageaki nosedives towards Konatsu – he decieded that he cannot let her die, no matter what.

No, no, no, no! I cannot allow her to die!

Muramasa: Midou, don’t be reckless!

Kageaki: Shut up!

I will save her, no matter what!

Kageaki: Don’t give up!!

Konatsu: Dieeee–!!

An explosion is heard.

Kageaki wakes up a few minutes after crashing into the ground, his whole body aching.

Kageaki: Wh-where is she? She should’ve crashed around here as well…

 

……….

Kageaki: ………!?

Kurusuno Konatsu was right in front of me, in the middle of what can only be called a complete wreckage.

Blood.

Steel.

Flesh.

Bones.

Flesh.

Steel.

The scattered pieces of what was once Kurusuno Konatsu were scattered all around me. However, she was still alive somehow. She looked up at me and with her last breath, repeated the same words over and over again.

“I will… never forgive you…”

Kageaki: ………

After losing everything dear to her because of Suzukawa Ryoubu, she vowed to take revenge and came all the way after me wielding a Tsurugi. This isn’t something she could’ve accomplished on her own, unless…

It must’ve been Sorimachi Ichizou. He was the one who gave her a Tsurugi.

Kageaki then suddenly realizes that the enemy consisted of 4 people. He rushes off to check on the other three. He recognizes that they are all relatives or lovers of people that he had killed before due to Muramasa’s curse. All four of them were people who wanted to see him dead.

All four of them wanted one thing, and one thing only.

Revenge.

Kageaki: No… n-no…

However, all four of them were dead. Four peope who had every reason to wish for my demise… were dead. While I lived. After realizing that he caused the death of four people who weren’t even related to Ginseigou or her eggs, Kageaki completely loses control and screams in terror. Disgusted with himself, he then proceeds to throw up.

I cannot be pardoned. The exitence of a man like myself is a disgrace. An affront to everything good and just. I cannot be forgiven. Ever.

Kageaki: Ootori… Kanae!!

In tears, I looked up at the evening sky and screamed her name from the top of my lungs. She was my goddess. The embodiment of true justice. The only one who could save me.

 

We cut to Shishiku, who orders Kuniuji and Hanae to begin their wedding preparations. Neither of them are especially happy with it, and Hanae (being the feisty little sister of Kanae, after all) proceeds to call Shishiku a dog who will be executed sooner or later. Shishiku will have none of it, proceeds to punch her in the stomach, but she bites back.

Hanae: Hmpf. Even your blood tastes awful, dog.

Before things can escalate, though, they hear an explosion from outside.

It’s Kageaki and Kanae, going all Rambo on their asses. I half-expect Kanae to go all Arnold and proclaim that she is “the party pooper”. If you didn’t get that reference you need to watch more movies.

They split up at the mansion’s main gate – Kageaki goes off to search for anything related to Ginseigou, while Kanae prepares to settle things with Shishiku. Sayo will stay behind to guard the entrance.

Before they go their separate ways, though…

Kanae: Kageaki.

Kageaki: Yes?

At that moment, time itself stood still. I felt the warmth of her lips on mine, the touch of her skin, the fragrance of her hair. It was a brief, awkward kiss, with merely our lips coming in contact. The sort of kiss small children would exchange. However, for that very reason, it was pure. Innocent.

Without understanding the reasons behind it, I welcomed her embrace as all remaining strength was drained from my arms due to the sheer abruptness of the act.

Kanae: I simply wanted to confirm something.

She rushed off without saying another word. All I could do was see her off in silence and utter confusion. However, the battle had already started. I had no time to lose.

Kageaki: Muramasa!

*he transforms into his Musha self*

Kageaki: Muramasa… the transformation just now… it felt a lot more painful than usual.

Muramasa: *in a nonchalant tone* Oh? You’re just imagining things.

(Is this… jealousy I’m smelling?)

So then we cut to Kanae, who walk into the mansion and insantly encounters a bunch of soldiers.

Soldier: You there! Drop your weapons! all of them!

Kanae: All of them, you say…? You mean these, too?

She then proceeds to massacre everyone in sight.

A surviving soldier rushes into Shishiku’s chamber and informs him that Hanae’s demonic elder sister is back, and that they’re probably all going to die horribly now. Shishiku, irritated, draws his blade and kills the underling, and decides to take matters into his own hands.

We’re back with Kageaki, who is also exploring the mansion.

Kageaki: Are you certain?

Muramasa: Yes. We’re going the right way. I haven’t felt her presence so strongly before…

Muramasa has always been able to point me in the direction of Ginseigou. However, today was the first time she was so certain – the first time she could pinpoint her location to such an extent.

Muramasa: It’s right below us. What are you going to do, Midou? It’ll be problematic if we can’t find a staircase soon. How about cutting through the floor?

Kageaki: I wouldn’t want to cause unnecessary damage, however, in this case…

And the scene quickly ends. We’re back with Kanae.

*gunshot*

Soldier: Arrrgh! Please forgive us, Lady Kanae! We were merely obeying Lord Shishiku’s orders!

*she shoots him dead and proceeds to giggle*

Kanae: Ah, Hanae! Long time no see, my sweet little sis-ouch!

Kanae: Why are you hitting me… T_T

Hanae: The bullet just now went right by my ear! It even burned my hair a bit!

Kanae: I’m sorry! I’ll try to aim better next time! (for your head)

Hanae: Did you say something…?

Kanae: Nothing! You misheard it! We live in cruel times, when not even my own sister is willing to believe me. T_T

Hanae: I have a question for you.

Kanae: Can it not wait until later?

Hanae: No. Depending on your answer I might have your head.

Hanae: Did you kill Yuuhi?

Kanae: Are you seriously asking me that?

Hanae: Hmpf. Oh well. I thought I’d ask. But you know that he died, right?

Kanae: I do.

Hanae: And the one who did it is…?

Kanae: ………

Hanae: Hmm. So the culprit is someone you know, I see.

Kanae: Could you please just leave that matter to me?

Hanae: Planning to take care of it all by yourself, huh?
Kanae: Yes.

Hanae: Well… just give me the details once you’re done. So why did you come back?

Kanae: Just to… survey things.

Hanae: Hmm. You’re planning to kill Shishiku to avoid war with the GHQ, right?

Kanae: Indeed.

Hanae: You should leave Shishiku to me. I’m planning to make use of him for another 3 years.

Kanae: However, by relying on a person like that, many people ended up needlessly dying…

Hanae: That’s true, but in 3 years, I’ll be able to reclaim everything.

Kanae: Everything…?

Hanae: Our family. The Shogunate. Kantou. Yamato. The continent.

Kanae: What about your marriage with Kuniuji?

Hanae: He’s not a bad person.

Kanae: But you don’t love him.

Hanae: Wouldn’t that be weird? It doesn’t suit us nobles.

Kanae: Political marriages are the norm for us… is what you’re trying to say? Still, I would’ve loved to see my dream come true.

Hanae: Dream…?

Kanae: A dream in which you find someone you truly love, and marry him. Even if it was a political marriage.

Kanae: In any case… I cannot leave the matter of Shishiku to you. He needs to die by my hands. Please be a dear and don’t stand in the way of your elder sister’s fun.

Hanae: Very well. He seemed to be heading towards the main hall.

Kanae: The hall? But that’s where I just came from.
We’re then outside with Sayo, who’s busy murdering the shit out of the Rokuhara at the entrance. Bare handed, with pure ninja skills. Then a bunch of Rokuhara Tsurugi appaer, and claim that no matter how good she is, she cannot win against armored soldiers with her bare hands.

End of scene.

We briefly see Shishiku order her man to capture Kanae, and goes off to call his own Tsurugi.

Shishiku’s men waste no time and attack Kanae all at once.

Soldiers: We have you surrounded.

Kanae: You shouldn’t say things like that, it brings bad luck. But still, I commend your self-confidence. Or is it blind loyalty? I wonder why you go so far for Shishiku’s sake.

Soldiers: We care not who our master is. We are but puppets dancing to his tune.

Kanae: In that case… die like the worthless puppets you are!

We’re back with Kageaki, who, while searching for traces of Giseigou, ran into Shishiku, Kuniuji and their bodyguards. Shishiku sends away Kunijui with the bodyguards and decides to settle things with Kageaki, whom he recognizes as Kanae’s ally. He has his own unique Tsurugi, obviously.

Then we’re back with Sayo, who’s about to tear the Rokuhara armored troops a new one in front of the mansion. So she summons her own Tsurugi.

Sayo: “The Iron Maiden!”

Sayo: Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful lady in a faraway land called Transylvania. However, as she was nearing old age, her beauty gradually started to wither. Unable to ignore this, a blacksmith -who was also an admirer of the lady- forged a first-class Tsurugi for her. That is how “Bathory” came to be.

So her Tsurugi is basically these bloodsucking gloves that drain the energy out of your enemy and kills it. After draining the life force of all the nearby soldiers, Sayo… well, just see for yourself. Here’s a screenshot.

Sayo: My Bathory is a Tsurugi meant for ladies. It manifests in such a form instead of your usual big, bulky armor. That also means that it doesn’t provide the defense and physical strength that a regular Tsurugi would. However… in exchange, it is a vampiric Tsurugi that can indiscriminately attack and drain the life of any enemy, even if that enemy is protected by thick armor. After draining the enemy’s life force, it… well… I think you can see the result for yourself.

Sayo: Ahn~ For a lady of my age to show this much skin… I am truly embarrassed.

*everyone around her collapses*

Sayo: Oh my. It seems like this experience was a bit too intense for you boys. I’ve been a bad girl~

Sayo: But it seems like my job here is done. The rest is up to you, Mistress.

We cut back to Kageaki, he manages to defeat Shishiku (he escapes at the end, though).

After Shishiku is gone, he finally finds the secret entrance that he’s been looking for.

According to Muramasa, Ginseigou is down there. She descends the staircase into a creepy underground chamber and sees… whatever the hell this is:

Kageaki: What… is this? It doesn’t look like a thing of this world.

Oh, and Chachamaru is also here for some reason.

Chachamaru: What you see before is the Tower of Babel, basically. But… it is the mere shell of a dream. A dream to ascend to the heavens. However… it’s all over now – nothing remains here anymore. The coming of god did not happen. I wonder what we were lacking? Bravery? Friendship? Or possibly… love?

Chachamaru: Love is the medicine to all of the world’s problems, after all.

*looks at Kageaki*

Chachamaru: The one you’re looking for is over there. Go on now, say your goodbyes or pledge your love. Whichever you prefer.

Kageaki: ………..?

Chachamaru: Oh? You haven’t realized yet? Or do you simply decide not to see the reality in front of your eyes? You can’t do that, mister. You have to see this through to the very end.

Chachamaru: This… this person here…

The “thing” opens an eye. Or something that looks like an eye.

I know that pupil. It looks happy when it sees me. It is happy that it could finally meet me.

Kageaki: *terrified* Ah…. ahh…

It seems to be smiling. It says my name.

Ka gE aKi

Kageaki: *terrified as fuck* Ah…Ahhh…AhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—–!!!

Kageaki: H-h…. Hi… Hika…ru…

Chachamaru: To consume such a vast amount of destructive power, “a space that consumes all” would have been required. But we couldn’t make it happen. Love must have been the one thing we lacked… I’m sure of it.

(As for the space that consumes all: the original Japanese literally says “starvation/hungering empty space”, so I’m guessing it could be a black hole? Might have some connection with Ginseigou doing something when the bomb was dropped. I hope this will make sense in another route.)

Kageaki is speechless. I don’t blame him.

Chachamaru: Well then. Let us end this, shall we? You should escape from here. You still have some unfinished business, don’t you? You wouldn’t want to remain here.

Muramsa: What will become of you?

Chachamaru: Don’t you worry about me. I’ll take care of my own business by myself. Hey, Masakuni! *she summons this giant turtle sort of thing* You’re ready to leave this world together?

So then she sets fire to the place, and Muramasa urges Kageaki to escape. He still hasn’t said a single word since then.

The place is on fire, and we cut to Hanae and Shishiku.

Hanae: This is the end, Shishiku. Your efforts, your loyalty and sincerity have been in vain. History will remember you as nothing more than a mere tyrant, a mass murderer.

Shishiku: It is not the end! The bright future of Yamato will never crumble! Not as long as I, Ootori Shishiku, draw breath!

Kanae barges into the room, gun in hand, and the scene abruptly ends.

Kageaki escapes and lands in a nearby forest.

Muramasa: I… I can’t feel her presence anymore…

(“Her” referring to Ginseigou, naturally.)

My heart became heavy as lead. I didn’t feel anything. I couldn’t. However, I was certain of one thing.

Kageaki: It is… finally over.

Shishiku and Hanae manage to escape. However, they are found by Kanae.

(Hanae manages to escape, as far as I remember.)

Shishiku: Kanae!! How far are you willing to go just for the sake of your revenge? I carry the burden of my homeland’s downfall on my shoulders!! What do *you* have, other than your foolish desire for revenge?! Are you willing to ignore the greater good for your selfish desire? Unforgivable. Your father was the same! He doomed Yamato with his actions!

Ootori Shishiku didn’t understand a single thing about her father. Ootori Kanae’s father had always doubted his own ways. He has always been filled with constant anxiety and doubt regarding whether or not the path he chose was the right one. A man like Shishiku, who considers his own path just, no matter what, couldn’t possibly understand how her father felt.

Shishiku: I killed your father in his sleep. He didn’t even realize what was happening until it was too late. He died a miserable death worthy of an insect. I’ll grant you the same fate!

So the two of them fight. Kanae goes berserk and instantly kills Shishiku.

Kanae: Shi…shiku…
Flashback time.

Shishiku of the past: “Kanae, you do like flowers, don’t you? Please take this one, then. Is it to your liking? I’m afraid I’m not very good at deciding these sort of things…”

“Kanae, I… I’ve always thought of you as great person. I…”

“I will make sure to become a great soldier worthy of the Ootori name. I will never make you regret the fact that you are engaged to a man such as I.”

Flashback over.

Kanae: Shi.. shiku…

She seems like she’s about to cry, but her sobbing slowly turns into a maniac laughter.

The narration then tells us that the land of Yamato is slowly going towards an era of peace. Whether this peace will last, or the tempest of war will once again sweep through the land of Yamato… is something no one knows for sure.

We switch to Kageaki, currently in Kanae’s mountain villa at night.

I inhaled deeply, then let the accumulated air out from my lungs. The Ginseigou is gone. The Rokuhara is finished. Yamato’s future is uncertain. Without a doubt, the people of this land will have to face countless hardships in the coming years. The road towards true peace is a rocky one – one that will claim many more sacrifices.

However, such things did not matter to Minato Kageaki anymore.

My duty has been fulfilled. I am not needed in this world any longer.

Then we get a lengthy narration that pretty much repeats all the stuff we already know, that Kanae is the only one who can judge Kageaki, that Kageaki feels that he was saved by her and so on. Finally, she knowck on the door.

Kanae: Kageaki, can I come in?

Kageaki: Of course. There is no one I’d welcome more.

They talk a bit, and Kageaki finally addresses the elephant in the room.

Kageaki: Please, grant me the punishment I deserve. Once you’ve done that, move on with your life and help those who are in need of your aid.

She made no answer. Her gaze did not meet mine – instead, she looked out the window. Looking at her profile, I thought she was beautiful. For the first time since we met, I earnestly believed that. Her beauty was akin to the layer of ice and snow that might seem intimidating from the outside, but in reality, shelters the warm earth underneath it.

She approached me and lifted her hands to reach out. I could feel the coldness of her touch on the back of my neck.

I awaited my inevitable death.

However, what happened afterwards differed from my expectations.

Before I knew it, I felt the weight of her body on top of my own. She unbuttoned my shirt and gently touched my skin.

Kageaki: Captain…

Kanae: Tomorrow.

There was no need to ask what she had meant by that single utterance.

Kanae: Until then… I belong to you.

She traced my chest with one finger, gazing at the many scars on my body.

Kanae: The scars of a man are the proof that he lived. It is not something to be ashamed of.

Kageaki: In the case of a normal person, that is true. However, my scars only remind me of my sins.

She then began licking one of the scars. After a while, I realized that this act was not towards me – not towards Minato Kageaki as a person – but the sins I bear. She was accepting it. Everything that encompasses me. My sins, my darkness – she wanted to taste it for herself.

(I think you know where this is going. Yes, there’s a porn scene with Kanae soon after this. And this is the first porn scene in the game that’s not rape. About time we had one of those.)

After they’re done with the first round:

Kageaki: No. This is not enough. I’m not satisifed yet. Real sex should be more… yes, more like that. (very vague and hard to make out images of someone banging a woman I can’t quite identify flash at the screen for a split second)

Kagaki: I’ll teach her what real sex should be like.

So in a nutshell, he grabs Kanae from behind, holds her down by the neck and fucks her brains out.

Kanae: N-no, wait! Slow down!

Kageaki: Captain. The more you tell a man to restrain himself, the less he will be able to do so. You would do well to remember that.

Kageaki: Just take it without resistance.

….

Kageaki: I didn’t hear your answer.

Kanae: O-okay!

Kageaki: Very good.

Kageaki is suddenly a total beast. He does the standard “you like being fucked by me, huh? You like it huh, you little bitch?” routine. It’s all sorts of hilarious. So anyway, after they’re done:

Kanae: You animal…

Kageaki: I… I have nothing to say in my defense. I completely lost all self-control.

Kanae: *pouting* Barbarian, brute, beast!

….

Kanae: But… I’m glad it happened.

Kageaki: …….?

Kanae: I’m the first one who saw this side of yours, right?

Kageaki: Well… yes, I suppose that is correct.

Kanae: I’m glad you opened up to me in the end.

In the morning, Kageaki wakes up and goes for a walk in the forest. Kanae promises to join him later.

 

Kageaki: Muramasa.

Muramasa: …yes?

Kageaki: Thank you for everything.

An hour or so passes.

Muramasa: Midou!

Muramasa: Midou!!

I finally realized she was actually trying to warn me.

Kanae appears before him in her Tsurugi. Kageaki, of course, doesn’t know it’s Kanae, but instantly recognizes the armor as the one that killed his foster father.

End of the scene, and we cut back to Sayo in the villa.

She’s cleaning the floor, and imagines that she’s seeing a bloodstain on the floorboards. Old memories from almost 20 years ago start rushing back into her mind, and we are introduced to Kanae’s superpower of sorts (in case you were wondering how she was able to easily murder dozens of soldiers in the mansino without using her Tsurugi.)

Kanae: Grandma… this is strange. This is quite the mystery indeed~

Kanae: Why couldn’t these people dodge my bullets…?

Kanae: Why couldn’t they stop time like I can…?

Cut back outside. Kageaki and Kanae proceed to fight, and we get some more backstory on the latter.

Ootori Kanae’s birth was as ordinary as anyone else’s. She didn’t eat her way out of her mother’s stomach, nor was she conjured up via black sorcery. Her parents made love, her mother got pregnant, and she came into this world without problems, like most other people. However, she possessed a unique… abnormality.

Her father was completely devoted to raising her. Instead of leaving her in the care of a servant, he made sure to personally teach her as much as possible.

One day, she had torn off the head of a praying mantis and showed it to her. Instead of scolding his daughter, the father decided not to say a word, and let the child realize the value of life on her own.

However, a few days later, she strangled a swallow to death. Her father still couldn’t say anything. He thought long and hard to be able to recall some sort of fairy-tale that he could tell his daughter in order to teach her about the value of life.

He was a good father.

Another few days later, she brought him the corpse of a crow – she killed it with scissors. She said the crow ruined the nest of the swallows. He couldn’t scold her for that – he himself thought that the getting rid of a harmful animal was the right thing to do. However, he decided to have a talk with her about it another day.

Yet another few days later, he -after hearing the screams of a servant- found his daughter in front of a stray dog’s mutilated corpse, with a kitchen knife in her hand. She told him that the dog had just killed a cat. Horrified, the father called for a doctor and ordered him to wash the blood off his daughter. After burying the dog in the backyard, she obeyed him.

That night, he finally asked his daughter the obvious question – “How could you do such a thing?”

“What the dog did was unforgivable.” – she replied.

“How so?” – the father asked.

“Killing that cat was evil. The dog, for its own selfish desires, took the life of another living being. So I killed it.” – she replied.

“That is just how nature works, dear. Animals kill each other in order to survive.” – the father declared. “We eat things like chickens and pigs every day, don’t we?” – he went on.

“You’re right. Therefore, we, too, must be subject to punishment.” – she nodded.

Her father was at a loss for words. She continued.

“If the world is governed by the principle of ‘survival of the fittest’, then the world itself is something I cannot possibly approve of.”

That is true justice.

The father knew that his daughter’s way of thinking was severely warped. However, he couldn’t outright deny her words, either.

“I should be killed and devoured by a dog. That would be true justice.” – she said.

In reality, she understood how warped her own way of thinking was. She knew it – and ignored it. She didn’t do it because it was just – she did it because she found enjoyment in it.

We get some more narration how Kanae killed a bunch of dudes in the past using her power. That’s why everyone came to fear her so much, and why she had to go overseas as an international student, accompanied by only Nagakura Sayo, the only person who witnessed her massacre.

At that moment, when her hatred, fury and warped nature was met with nothing but gratitude, admiration and affection, something in Ootori Kanae changed.

Minato Kageaki murdered Nitta Yuuhi. That much is fact. However, despite that obvious sin, she believed that he had done nothing wrong. He had no other options. He does not deserve to be executed. He was but an ordinary person, unlike her.

Minato Kageaki welcomed death. He longed for it. He firmly rejected his very right to live. In other words, he loathed himself.

We briefly switch to Kageaki’s viewpoint, and then this image flashes at the screen for a split second. It’s the same one from Chapter 5.

“I cannot accept it.”

Ootori Kanae finally came to that conclusion. While there was a reason behind her own vengeance, the same could be said about the man in front of him right now. Minato Kageaki. Accuser and accused, both labeling their own cause as just, fight a neverending battle.

Even though they didn’t know each other for long, she understood him. He was trying to accmoplish his goal to the best of his abilities. His genuine efforts, often painful and agonizing, were met with no compensation.

Without being accepted by anyone, Minato Kageaki will drown in his own agony.

“I cannot accept it.”

She felt anger. Irritation. Bitterness.

“I don’t want to kill him.”

And finally, sadness.

“I’ll just… let him finish me, then.”

Why do you kill? For revenge? What good is there in revenge? It is not the highest form of justice you think it is. It is merely one of many forms of justice. So… why did you cling onto it?

Because I wanted to. Because I enjoyed it.

Will revenge bring back Nitta Yuuhi?

For the first time in her life, Ootori Kanae experienced the anguish of questioning, no, outright denying, one’s own self – her very identity shattering to pieces.

Why is revenge necessary? Why do I have to take revenge?

She recalls the final words her father uttered to her before she left for Europe.

“Are your actions guided by hate alone…? Or could it be… that it is your affection, your love, that is too strong?”

That was his final farewell to her. For the longest time, she thought her father could never understand her. Could he have been right, after all?

No. It’ cannot be. It’s not possible. No. No. No.

Revenge is meaningless. Nothing is gained from it. It ravages the heart and turns it into a barren wasteland.

Oresteia, who killed her mother to avenge her father, in the end, found her own soul to be broken and beyond repair.

The Count of Monte Cristo. Having finally fulfilled his revenge, he found himself in a whirlpool of agony, birthed by the countless sins he had commited to further his goal.

Hamlet. Numerous men and women were sacrificed on the altar of his blind revenge. In the end, it consumed everyone around him and resulted in his own death.

Countless novelists and playwrights of times past have already chronicled the futility that is revenge.

What exactly… is revenge?

Is it my duty to kill Mianto Kageaki? (I don’t want to!)

Do I desire retribution for Nitta Yuuhi’s death? (I do!)

Minato Kageaki’s past is a tale written in the blood of innocents. However, was it his fault? Was he not forced into that role?

Kanae: I don’t want to kill him!

It is fine to scream towards the sky that you are not to be blamed. That it is not your fault. Even if no one answers.

Kanae: I cannot bring myself to kill him…!

Killing him means validating his foolish ideas of punishment and self-loathing. It would mean that I accept the fact that Minato Kageaki is a worthless human being deserving of punishment.

I cannot bring myself to do that. I don’t want to grant him such a cruel end! He deserves happiness more than anyone else! He has suffered enough! And so, decades later, at the end of our lives, I would teasingly whisper into his ear words of days gone by, of times forgotten – “You once wanted to be killed by me, remember?” – and he would blush at the thought. Ah, how I would love to see that day come.

In tears, she whispered the words to herself.

Kanae: I… I don’t want to kill him… I want him to live!

She then goes berserk and charges at him.

Finally, Ootori Kanae realized what revenge truly was.

It belongs to the dead.

There are two ways to pay the debt. One: is to revive the one who was murdered. That is impossible.

Two: kill the one who commited the murder. That is how the debt is paid. That is how balance is restored! This is the wish of the deceased. Revenge!

(I actually had to look this up on the Japanese Wiki because I was slightly confused. She really does have compound eyes, and that’s why she keeps them closed 99% of the time. It’s pretty messed up, I know.)

Kageaki: That Tsurugi’s hatred towards me is immense. Such a pure intent to kill. It almost feels like… I’ve encountered something similar before…

Before he can realize that it’s Kanae, Muramasa interrupts him.

Muramasa: Focus on the battle!

So they fight for a bit more.

Kanae: So, this is the end. I will die, and he will survive. I’m… fine with that.

In her final moment, what is Ootori Kanae supposed to do?

Then the game gives us five choices to asnwer that question. All of the buttons read “Kill”.

I advance towards the enemy. I am tearing it to pieces. I am being torn to pieces. However… a little bit of strength still remains in my body, and I move in for the kill.

A tremendous crash is heard as the Kageaki and Kanae clash for one last time.

Did I slay the enemy?

Or was I slain?

It hardly mattered anymore.

[credits start rolling]

[Ending song: "Deciduous" by Itou Kanako]

[Epilogue]

I’m walking on a lone forest path. Pieces of my armor have already fallen off… but my body still feels heavy. A lot more than usual, in fact.

And yet… I walk on. I have to.

Muramasa: Midou…

Kageaki: Muramasa…

Muramasa: Forgive me… it looks like… this is it for me…

Kageaki: I know…

It seems like I will last a little bit longer than my faithful companion. It took all of my remaining strength to say one last thing to her.

Kageaki: Thank you… for everything…

I have to walk on. I can barely move. I force my entire body into motion. I have to return to her, at least. I have to be at her side.

I collapsed.

Kageaki: I cannot… die yet…

I cannot die yet. Surely, the countless people I murdered thought the same in their final moments. With all their might, they must have screamed that they didn’t want to die.

I have to hold on until I return to her. For she is the only who can grant me a fitting death. I have to die by her hands.

At long last… I found her.

Kageaki: Captain… Ootori…

There are countless things I didn’t know about her. And countless things I didn’t understand about her personality. She might have been an abomination. An affront to everything human. A beast in human skin.

However, those things were all meaningless.

Even if she was nothing more than a devil that ascended from the depths of hell into the world of mortals… to me, she was nothing less than a divine being – an angel.

My wish has been granted.

And yet… during the final seconds of my life, a tiny fragment of dissatisfaction remained in my heart.

It was tender, and kind… a beautiful thing. Still, it was the source of my dissatisfaction.

After all, the man called Minato Kageaki deserved a death much harsher than this.

………………………

I looked down at his peaceful features – he resembled an innocent child, resting in my lap like this. I am content. However, a tiny bit of dissatisfaction still lingered within my heart.

I continued to gaze at him. His lips slowly curled to an innocent, pure smile – it was so unlike him.

Kanae: You were such a fool…

Until the very end, he couldn’t accept himself.

He should’ve escaped. He shouldn’t have allowed himself to die in a place like this. I wonder why he didn’t realize that.

Despite that, he stood his ground, and remained to fight till the bitter end. He simply wanted to protect the woman who meant more than anything to him.

And thus, he met his end.

Kanae: But, you know…

Life and death differ in nothing but name. Dust to dust. Emerging from nothingness or returning to it… in essence, they are the same thing.

Kanae: Hey…

I continued talking to him, even though I knew very well that an answer would never come.

We were such fools. Truly and entirely. This is such a fitting end for us. We could not have had it any other way.

We met on that day, so long ago – and in the end, we died together. What a cliche. Truly a farce of the highest order. A sick comedy.

We have no audience, though. After all…

…this is our tale – yours and mine alone. It belongs only to the two of us.

 So let us point and laugh at them – those two fools on the stage of life.

[Kanae's route END]