"Sou sa maiagare hoshi yo That's right, soar high, o star" "Ichido dake kagayaite futari o terashite Shine just once and illuminate the two of us" "Unmei no sora o kakeru hito-suji no hikari ga The single streak of light dashing across the fateful sky" "Futari o kaete yuku yo It's going to change us both" "Tashikameta no wa kowai kara ja nai The reason I double-checked wasn't because I was scared" "Shoujun wa ano ryuusei ni shibotta I've set our sights on that shooting star" "Marui renzu ni hitai o yoseta We crowd our foreheads around the round lens" ""Hajimaruyo" kimi ga yoko de tsubuyaku "It's going to start," you murmur next to me" "Sotto iki o tometa Quietly, we hold our breaths" "Futari te nigitta And join hands" "Wakatterunda mousugu kitto kiseki ga yatte kuru We know that soon, a miracle is sure to come along" "Saa maiagare hoshi yo Now, soar high, o star" "Ichido dake kagayaite futari o terashite Shine just once and illuminate the two of us" "Unmei no sora o kakeru hito-suji no hikari ga The single streak of light dashing across the fateful sky" "Futari o kaete yuku yo It's going to change us both" "Tenpo Year 14, March 21st." "Preceding Shogun Tokugawa's trip to pay his respects at Nikko next month, it was ordered that vagrants and rogues be rigorously brought to order along the roads to Nikko." "And in order to ascertain that the roads are in fact safe," "Senior Councilor Lord of Ooi Doi's cavalcade departed for Nikko." "In truth, the real objective was to take this opportunity to wipe out every last fiend, monster and Youi haunting the route to Nikko." "Current to wipe out every last fiend, monster and Youi haunting the route to Nikko." "Current" "Current But Hozaburo Ogasawara, leader of the Ayashi," "But Hozaburo Ogasawara, leader of the Ayashi, decided to take this mission alone for some reason." "Ryudo went after him, and was in turn followed by Atl and Saizo." "An old friend of Ogasawara's has the cavalcade in his sights, and further, now we have a band of mysterious men maneuvering behind the scenes." "And ignorant of such goings-on, we remain in Edo." "That's it for the summary of the story thus far!" "Our work for the day is done!" "Time to drink!" "Cha pter Twelve Hakuryu Howls to the Moon" "What is wrong with them?" "!" "This is not my fault today." "It seems they ate something strange." "It spoke?" "!" "I thought Quetzalcoatl had become an ordinary horse..." "Kanou!" "Let us go directly back to Edo." "This is only the beginning." "There is an ominous wind coming in from the west." "We will test it at Nikko!" "There lies the remains of a god." "Moheiji Honjo, I will avenge my master!" "You..." "Kanou, is it?" "Kanou, put away your sword!" "Honjo, I shall take care of this." "Shiroyama!" "Have you sunk so low that you've become Torii's hound, after all?" "!" "Though Hozaburo Shiroyama was a scholar of Western learning, he allowed himself to be adopted by the Ogasawaras, who opposed such scholars." "So that he alone could survive." "That's a lie!" "Run!" "There's a horse!" "Quickly!" "Right!" "Fools!" "That is enough!" "This cavalcade exists to ensure the Shogun's safety on his journey!" "What do you think that means?" "!" "Tenpo Y ear 1 4, April 2nd" " Koga Castle" "Tenpo Y ear 1 4, April 2nd" " Koga Castle I would like permission to depart immediately." "I would like permission to depart immediately." "You people did not join the cavalcade for the purpose of destroying Youi." "Koga (80,000 bushels of rice) Domain Lord, Senior Councilor Lord of Ooi, Toshitsura Doi You people did not join the cavalcade for the purpose of destroying Youi." "You people did not join the cavalcade for the purpose of destroying Youi." "I have been told that you are in search of something along the road." "But it has now been stolen." "Is that not true?" "My lord." "What are they searching for?" "You are not of sufficient rank to directly question the Senior Councilor!" "Watch yourself!" "As I understand it, the Ayashi are the Shogun's retainers." "I will allow it." "Answer." "What is it that you have been in search of on this journey, under the Lord of Kai's orders?" "The Killing Stone..." "The Killing Stone of Nasu?" "!" "A nine-tailed fox was killed with an arrow, but even after it turned into a boulder, it continued to unleash poison, and it is said to have laid waste to all around it." "It was a shard of that." "The Killing Stone is a powerful Youi that's been sealed away." "Even a shard of it still contains power." "It's only natural for the Magistrate's Office to work to analyze its powers!" "Hanai!" "However, you allowed this dangerous object to be stolen by outlaws, and your subordinates caused a disturbance." "For that crime..." "One moment!" "There was another outlaw, one who sought to take Lord Honjo's life." "Seinoshin Kanou." "What of his punishment?" "Unwonted revenge against a retainer of the Shogun shall not be permitted." "I believe Kanou is a friend of Lord Ogasawara's." "Ogasawara." "You will leave the cavalcade and pursue this man Kanou." "You are to marshal all your Ayashi and capture him, without fail." "Ogasawara." "Kill Kanou." "Kawaji, I, and others who used to study Western learning behave discreetly to avoid attracting Mizuno's attention." ""It was Ogasawara's doing that led Kanou to want Honjo dead."" "Torii would think nothing of bringing such false charges against you." "Establish your innocence." "It's a lie!" "Lord Ogasawara would not betray a friend!" "By being adopted by a man working under Torii, they say he avoided being investigated in regards to barbarian knowledge." "It's a lie!" "It's a lie!" "It's a lie!" "Honjo!" "Yes, Moheiji Honjo." "That is also one of my names." "He is keeping his name secret, by Lord Torii's orders." "What did you do to Kanou?" "If all you had done was to arrest Master Takashima, there is no reason Kanou would only come after you." "I'll tell you, I hate him!" "Not just him!" "You, too!" "And you!" "The Other World, other countries..." "Anyone who speaks of nothing but places other than here!" "The Other World and other countries are completely different." "It amounts to the same thing!" "You behave as though you people are the only ones who know the truth." "How things are done in other countries..." "How wonderful the Other World is..." "In this way, you brag about these worlds that you cannot even go to!" "Brag?" "You are the same as the rest of us, insects crawling on the ground, but you believe you alone are special!" "That you are too good to settle upon a land such as this." "But I'll have you know, people have no choice but to live here." "Why would anyone..." "Who is enshrined here at Toshogu?" "The Lord Tosho Daigongen, of course." "Yes, the Lord Ieyasu Tokugawa." "Many souls of the wayward slumber upon this land." "And you could say that they were brought under control by making Lord Ieyasu a god." "Daimyojin by making Lord Ieyasu a god." "Daimyojin But the names that are written here are" "Toko Daimyojin But the names that are written here are" "Toko Daimyojin other divine names that could have been conferred upon Lord Ieyasu." "Nippon Daimyojin other divine names that could have been conferred upon Lord Ieyasu." "other divine names that could have been conferred upon Lord Ieyasu." "They negate and banish Lord Ieyasu's powers as a god." "A curse." "You get to eat this." "Why?" "!" "It would be better if neither you nor I ate those." "Then what are they for?" "!" "It's because they should be arriving soon." "Don't give me that!" "If I don't eat meat or whatever, I won't have the strength to kill Honjo!" "That is Youi flesh." "You're late." "The cavalcade arrived long ago." "We took a different route than the cavalcade." "So you pretended to let me escape, only to corner me!" "You said it was Youi?" "What is that?" "Monsters that come from the Other World." "And it is our duty to destroy them." "The Other World, is it?" "No such thing exists!" "You saw them too!" "Those monsters!" "You mean beasts!" "I destroy Youi using Western learning." "By doing so, I hope to have the Shogun recognize how exceptional Western learning is." "That is what I am thinking." "Lies!" "You merely wanted to save yourself from the authorities!" "The setting sun..." "That is..." "Ayagami!" "Ba ku" "Ba ku" "Horse" " Baku" " Deer" "Horse" " Baku" " Deer A character that depicts the sun setting into grass." "And if we combine the badger with this character..." "Baku!" "To all who were sealed away by Ieyasu's spirit..." "Awaken!" "Yukiatsu!" "This can't be true!" "The Other World?" "Such a thing cannot..." "Honjo said to me that the Other World and other countries were the same." "People yearn for a place other than here..." "Kanou!" "For the sake of stability under Tokugawa, for the sake of peace, numerous Youi were buried underground here." "And now they are about to awaken." "Here they come!" "Attack!" "No!" "The slumbering Youi have awakened!" "At this rate..." "Senior Councilor!" "Yukiatsu Ryudo!" ""Yuki"..." "He is using his own name as a weapon..." "Here we go, Kumoshichi!" "Yukiatsu..." "Kumoshichi, what's wrong?" "!" "Are you all right?" "!" "I may not be able to do it anymore..." "To keep this guy under control..." "You mean, you'll revert back?" "There is a tremendous Youi raging about here." "The Killing Stone is a favorite food of Quetzalcoatl's, too." "Even though I devoured him to become one with him, to keep him under control..." "Devour me, too!" "I'll become one with you too." "My name is Ryudo, written as "one who guides dragons"." "If you do, you may become a monster of the Other World." "A monster, huh?" "That's why I've decided to do it." "To fight against the Youi." "I'm sorry for everything, Shichiji." "Forgive me." "All right, Yukiatsu." "Quickly, while I am still conscious!" "I know, Kumoshichi." "Now, don't be so impatient." "Ryu (dragon)" " Do (g uide)" "Horse" "To Meld" "Ready, Kumoshichi!" "Quetzalcoatl..." "He's returned to life again?" "No, that is a Haku." "A Haku is a sacred beast found in legends, said to be superior to dragons!" "Ha ku said to be superior to dragons!" "Ha ku" "Then, where is Ryudo?" "At this rate, Ryodo will likely be swallowed up by the Haku, never to return to human form!" "No..." "We will end this battle." "The Youi's source of power is the Killing Stone." "If we can shatter it..." "You mean to aid that monster?" "He is one of my men!" "Both he and I are now Ayashi, who cannot help but crave Youi flesh!" "Give it here!" "Kanou?" "This is not enough gunpowder!" "To shatter it in one shot, we calculate the distance!" "That is a Haku!" "No, it is one of the eight serpent heads." "To think it would appear in our era..." "Where did you learn these things?" "These are the rudiments of Western artillery that we learned from Master Takashima." "Ryudo, hold on." "They are here." "The gods of the land are still here." "Yukiatsu!" "Yukiwa!" "This will not be settled until you kill me, will it?" "And I doubt you can abandon your quest to kill Honjo." "If I were you, I too would find Honjo unforgivable." "You heard?" "I am truly to go to Holland?" "I will be able to talk to the capitan on your behalf." "I am to go to another country..." "I've arranged passage for many people already." "Incidentally, would it be at all possible for you to introduce me to Master Shuuhan Takashima?" "Honjo crept into the Master's estate, and planted evidence of treason." "It was all my..." "I have no right to censure you!" "Kanou..." "But if I do not kill Honjo, Kanou..." "But if I do not kill Honjo," "I cannot forgive myself!" "Kanou!" "Kanou..." "Even so..." "I would have liked to live." "Eh, Shiroyama?" "You would have too, wouldn't you?" "Kanou?" "!" "Kanou!" "You have my thanks." "I merely did my duty." "There is something I would like you to transport tomorrow." "Yeah, I know." "The moon is beautiful tonight." "Yeah..." "For the sake of Western learning?" "In the end, maybe I only allowed Ogasawara to adopt me because I did not want to face the misery." "He, too, wanted to be free of misery..." "I find myself terrifying!" "That is why I refused the Ayagami!" "Who knows what might emerge from me?" "I'm going out for some air." "Sure." "Nagaku nagai tabiji ni On that long, ageless journey" "Boku wa kimi ni koi shita I fell in love with you" "Kisetsu meguri shigure-zuki The seasons turned to the month of autumn rains" "Kokoro o sotto nurasu Gently dampening hearts" "Toki ga nanika kaeru nara If time can change things" "Douka douka sotto shite Please, please be gentle" "Kimi to aruku ima dake This one moment as I walk with you" "Shizuka ni tomatte ite Stay quiet, be still" "Mizube no hotori ni tsuzuita Winding Road The winding road following along the water's edge" "Konna futari ni wa oniai nandarou It's probably fitting for a couple like us" "Hitotsu no kasa ga kanashii The lone umbrella is sad" "Mada kimi ga suki dakara Because I still love you" "Sunao ni uketomerarezu ni I couldn't accept it graciously" "Kono ame ni nagasarete Let this rain carry you away" ""Subete ga uso da" to mou ichido hohoende Smile once more and tell me, "It was all a lie"" "Preview" "Meiji Year 17." "An artist who looks back upon the past..." "He painted more monsters than anyone else, and he painted a more beautiful Buddha than anyone else." "His name is Kyousai Kawanabe." "Next Time Cha pter Thirteen Heaven, Hell, and a Book of Rumors"