"Kotoba dake ja tsutawaranai mono o The things you can't get across with just words" "Ichiban tsutaetai no wa naze?" "Why do you want to get those things across the most?" "Kutsuzoko o suriherashite Wearing down the soles of your shoes" "Hadashi demo tomarenai no wa naze?" "Why can't you stop, even when you're down to your bare feet?" "Kaban no naka ni hoshizora The starry sky is in your bag" "Arashi no yoru mo soko ni aru The stormy nights are in there too" "Soro-soro tabi ni dero It's about time you go on a journey" "Robou ni saku hana yo hana yo The flowers, the flowers that bloom by the wayside" "Goro-goro doro-darake Rolling around, covered in mud" "Mune o kogasu yoake yoake The dawn, the dawn that consumes your heart" "Soro-soro hashiri-dase It's about time you start running" "Kowareru made asobe asobe Play, play until you break down" "Odorou yo doro-darake Let's dance, covered in mud" "Mune o kogasu yoake yoake The dawn, the dawn that consumes your heart" "Chapter Twenty" " Four Fantasy of the Latter Southern Court" "Ouma..." "It has been believed that Youi take shape through people's emotions and the power of the Other World." "However, no one had ever seen one come to life." "But now..." "Just this moment, that Youi has come to life." "Meaning Atl made it?" "Hey, Kyousai!" "A landslide?" "!" "There's no mountain here!" "A landslide?" "!" "There's no mountain here!" "Ouma, listen to me!" "Look over here!" "Look at me!" "I won't let you go anywhere!" "I won't let you go!" "Are you all right?" "Calm down, Kyousai!" "This is all your fault!" "So what do you think we should have done?" "If we had left those frog Youi alone, the Other World would have opened." "The construction would have failed and made trouble for many people." "I don't give a damn about what's the right answer!" "Don't weigh a person's heart against such things!" "I'll bring Atl back." "Atl..." "Kumoshichi, can you fly that far up?" "Sure can." "If it's with you, Yukiatsu, I'll go anywhere." "All right." "Wait!" "I'll save Ouma!" "You stay out of it, you old geezer!" "Why are you so worked up about this?" "Why?" "!" "Isn't it obvious?" "!" "Because to me, Ouma is..." "You're right." "I got to be this old before I even knew it." "But there are some things I can do precisely because of that." "Damn it!" "With this, the canal construction here at Inba Swamp will be..." "So the ascetic with the talismans called Taira no Chiyomaru had anticipated all this." "Then, Taira no Chiyomaru is one of the Western..." "This thing is enormous..." "Atl, you really are amazing." "But won't you make this thing vanish somehow?" "I'm sorry." "I wasn't able to keep my promise." "I let Tasaku and his friends die." "But you know, if this thing goes on a rampage, the other laborers at the construction site and the local farmers will all..." "I don't understand." "Surely it's not that you don't understand." "You're a kind-hearted child." "Why must I understand?" "Please understand." "That's the way of this world." "People don't live alone." "There are lots of people who are all alive, and..." "Then I will go to the Other World." "What?" "There, I will not have to agonize over matters such as this." "Trying to understand..." "I've tried so hard to understand." "And yet, to have to suffer like this still!" "That would never happen there!" "What's wrong, Kumoshichi?" "!" "Yukiatsu, we have to get away from here." "This is bad..." "Not again..." "This is..." "Are you worried that I will become a Youi?" "This is different." "Right now, we just have to..." "Atl..." "Atl!" "Atl!" "Nil" "So this is the foreign girl, who called forth Quetzalcoatl." "Her power is magnificent." "Are you all right, Yukiatsu?" "As I recall, those men showed up during the Tanabata Festival..." "They were called the Western Ones or something, weren't they?" "But why is Edogen with them?" "Are they on our side?" "You Ayashi, heed me well!" "Do not listen to them!" "Honjo..." "Tell us!" "Who are the Western Ones?" "!" "I told you before!" "No such people exist!" "It doesn't look that way to me." "Specters, are we?" "That is what the Shogunate wishes us to remain, isn't it?" "We will depose the Shogunate and restore this place as the world of the gods!" "World of the gods?" "O Ayashi, behold what is about to happen!" "And obey us!" "Nioya!" "That dance is..." "Saizo's..." "Don't!" "You'll hit Ouma!" "That idiot!" "Hey, if the masked men are enemies to these guys, they're our allies!" "Well, it would be nice if it were that simple, but..." "Is it possible for Lord Mizuno to be forced to resign as a senior councilor?" "Hot!" "Both Lord Abe and Lord Doi are waiting for Lord Mizuno to fail." "Be it the Inba Swamp canal construction, or possibly in some other way." "If that happened, you would be promoted to a higher post, wouldn't you, Lord Ogasawara?" "I did not take this post in order to be promoted!" "I am aware that your objective is to gain acceptance for Western learning." "And that is so Western learning may save people." "The Lord Shogun, and Lord Mizuno and everyone else, are in the castle above us, right?" "How odd." "If that is the same dance as Saizo's, should it not serve to soothe the Youi?" "According to the myths, the goddess Ame-no-Uzume danced twice." "Once, to quell Amaterasu's anger, and once, when the grandson of Amaterasu descended to earth." "The gods of the heavens descended upon this land to govern it?" "It was Ame-no-Uzume who heralded the descent of the gods." "The gods of the land were forced to make way before her dance." "In other words, it is a dance that ushers in war." "A dance that incenses Youi..." "O god of the land, fulfill the duty that you were meant to serve!" "What do you think you're doing?" "!" "You'll be eaten by the Youi!" "Rise!" "A person inside the Youi?" "!" "That is how Youi were truly meant to be." "We are the descendants of gods." "It seems I have no choice but to acknowledge it." "That thing is no longer a Youi." "There have been other Youi that have become one with humans!" "All of those could only go berserk like wild animals." "But this one is different." "The human is controlling the Youi." "What do we do?" "Slay it, of course." "That's what we came here to do." "Besides, we have to get Atl..." "Hey, look!" "Are you all right?" "Pardon." "We're all full here." "Now, now, do not be so uncompromising." "The South Magistrate!" "Just what is going on here?" "!" "What is that Youi?" "!" "Do you not see?" "That is how Youi were truly meant to be." "What?" "!" "They are relics left behind by the gods." "The gods?" "!" "To the gods, this land is unclean." "For that reason, the gods descended encased in special armor." "And those were..." "The Youi!" "You're saying those monsters are the armor of gods?" "!" "I am." "But why were so many of them left upon our land?" "Because the gods are no longer here." "They say the myriads of gods and goddesses descended upon this land, but where are they?" "They are not here!" "Yes, they are gone!" "The gods returned long ago." "To the Other World." "The Other World?" "The Other World is the world of the gods?" "The gods returned and their armor was discarded." "And those are the Youi." "When they encounter human thoughts that resemble those of the gods, they awaken imperfectly." "So that is what it means for a Youi to go berserk..." "But why did you not tell this to Ogasawara?" "!" "It's those masked men." "Maybe they wanted to keep that a secret..." "You said the Youi are armor!" "For the gods!" "But he was able to don the Youi!" "Why?" "!" "But you already know the answer." "Edogen..." "The Youi are armor that only the gods can don." "In which case, those who can don them are gods." "No!" "In our country, there is a lineage that is said to be descended from the gods... the grandson of Amaterasu." "The son of Heaven... in Kyoto..." "The Emperor..." "Have you ever heard of the Latter Southern Court?" "Once the Imperial Family fought, divided into the Northern and Southern Courts!" "Yes, and in time, the two Courts became one, but dissatisfied with that, the Southern Court tried to maintain its lineage independently." "That is the Latter Southern Court." "But that, too, was destroyed within fifty years." "I've heard rumors, though." "That the Southern Court was not destroyed, but hid in the mountains." "Hanai, you are telling them too much!" "We have no choice but to get the Ayashi to help us!" "So, are they the descendants of that Latter Southern Court?" "The Imperial line that was supposed to have died out..." "They claim that they are." "Their objective is to bring down the Shogunate." "With the blood of the gods of heaven, the Western Ones can don Youi." "And so, you sought to gain control of the Youi first." "Are you Torii's men?" "You became aware of our existence and tried to stop us." "But it was no use." "We have fully mastered the ability to don the Youi as armor." "If this matter had come to light, it would have given rise to needless chaos in this world." "That is why Lord Torii was always careful to act covertly." "You are wrong!" "It was because if our identity had become known, it would have become clear that justice is on our side!" "I am a priest." "I serve the gods." "The Western Ones have claimed the Youi as armor." "I must acknowledge it." "What will become of Atl?" "She has the power to awaken Youi, so..." "This world does not belong to the gods!" "Do you understand, Yukiatsu Ryudo?" "!" "All this time, we have protected Edo and the Shogunate from them!" "Now that all has been revealed, you must also..." "Matsue!" "Do you mean to turn the Asobe into your armor?" "I should be capable of it as well." "I was summoned to the Other World and received the power to give birth to these little ones." "Now I finally understand why." "This is absurd!" "I have become a god." "Not them." "So I can wear Youi as armor..." "Stop this!" "I am a god!" "If I am not..." "If I am not..." "A human cannot feign to be a god." "Then why was I..." "Why was I..." "Now, come with me to join the Western Ones." "Edogen!" "The horse as well." "Kumoshichi..." "I know..." "That is also..." "That is also one of the powerful dragons known as a serpent head." "Just like Quetzalcoatl and Haku." "Serpent head?" "In these parts, Serpent head?" "In these parts, there is apparently a legend of a red ray so gigantic, it can be mistaken for an island." "It seems they call that Youi "Leviathan" in foreign countries." "So I just have to devour that thing, right?" "If you do that, you will surely become a Youi this time." "That's why I don't want to do this." "But there is no other choice." "Torii!" "Could this have been your plan from the start?" "!" "If those things are the armor of gods, why did they leave them behind in our world?" "I don't like it." "I don't like it!" "Old man..." "No, Yukiatsu..." "What is it now?" "Ouma..." "Please take care of Ouma." "What are you saying?" "That's not for me to do." "That's for..." "There's nothing that I can give her." "Though I hate to admit it." "Yukiatsu, you're the only one who can do it." "Here we go, Kumoshichi!" "This may be a serpent head, but it is still a Youi!" "It is divine armor!" "Unlike you, at the mercy of the Youi's power, unable to control it!" "You cannot win!" "Just as I expected!" "Are you a god?" "We are all descendants of the Latter Southern Court!" "The blood of the Emperor who was erased from history runs in our veins!" "Then I despise you!" "You gods, who come from the Other World and lead us astray!" "Yukiatsu!" "Why?" "The Youi are our armor!" "We are..." "Iwami!" "So he will take his next shape." "Yukiatsu..." "Are you Yukiatsu?" "It seems he has failed to make the transition from dragon to man." "Genbatsu Edo, the time has come!" "Now, use this!" "It is the sword that emerged from the body of the eight-headed dragon!" "A divine sword." "That is not a sword that slays humans!" "It will only slay dragons!" "It cannot be!" "The sword that calls the clouds to gather!" "It cannot possibly be here!" "It is supposed to be at the Atsuta Shrine!" "Do you not know that the Latter Southern Court once tried to steal this from the Imperial Palace?" "What if it had been switched then?" "Impossible!" "That is impossible!" "Yukiatsu..." "Yukiatsu!" "Mado no soto no sora o mitara Outside my window, looking at the sky" "Kumo ga haato no katachi ni mieta yo The clouds looked like they were in the shape of a heart" "Iki o ookiku suikome ba If you take in a deep breath" "Kokoro ga ookiku natta ki ga suru ne It makes you feel like your heart's grown bigger, doesn't it?" "Ai to wa nanika?" "What is love?" "Nante kono toshi ja wakaru wake nai kedo There's no way I'd know that at my age" "Itsu no hi ka wakaru toki ga kuru no kana I wonder if there'll come a day when I do know" "Mado kara mieru ki no eda mo ha mo Outside my window, I can see tree branches and leaves" "Mainichi mainichi nobite-iru yo And they grow every day, day after day" "Kore kara mo nobite-iku yo ne They'll continue to grow from now on too, won't they?" "Konna toki ni wa konna uta ga niau At times like this, a song like this is just the thing" "Jibun no ima omou kimochi o kuchizusame Sing whatever you're feeling right now" "Aishite-iru to iu suteki ni hibiku kotoba ga The words "I love you" have such a wonderful ring to them" "Mirai ni iru jibun o kitto ima no nanbai mo ookiku Surely they'll make my future self many times greater" "Yasashiku sasete kureru no kamo shirenai Maybe many times kinder than I am today" "Preview" "Preview People cannot live without stories." "People cannot live without stories." "Stories of gods." "Stories of kings." "And that is also the story of people." "Next Time Interlude" " People Are Ayashi" "Next Time Interlude" " People Are Ayashi Interlude." "People Are Ayashi."