"The drumming entices people into the village." "Everywhere one cares to look, the landscape is awash with ruins and monsters." "A trace of this horror embeds itself in our traditions, as the wind that Heaven exhales fails to reach tomorrow." "The Screeching Ivy Chapter Eight" "Hey." "Hey, you there." "Could you spare a dime... for a wretched soul?" "It wasn't a war or an accident that made me like this." "I was born this way." "It's not as if I want to be like this." "Sadly, having been born with this body... means that begging has become the only way I can make a living." "Wait up." "If you show me some charity, I'll tell you something worthwhile in return." "So I caught your attention after all." "Money first." "This sure is a small fortune!" "Not at all." "You're being targeted." "Targeted?" "Maybe it'd be more accurate to say that someone's after you." "But that's not exactly right either..." "There must be a better way of phrasing it..." "What?" "Tailing..." "That's it!" "Someone's tailing you." "What fiend is tailing me?" "Not just one, it's a pair." "You've got two guys tailing you." "One of them is just like me." "Like you?" "Someone's screwed around with his body." "He has this thick dome on his back." "Some sort of shell..." "A carapace that shields the body?" "That's right." "You'd best watch out if you fight him." "It's not just his shell..." "Don't allow his words to confuse you." "And the other?" "A woman..." "She's a looker, but don't take her lightly or she might seduce and capture you." "Ever been chased by a woman before?" "No." "You look like a ladies' man though." "So, was my advice worth it?" "Indeed it was." "If that's the case, could you help me out with something else?" "With what?" "Sorry to ask you this, but could you throw this plastic bag away for me?" "Anywhere's fine." "What is this?" "This is excrement, is it not?" "You request that I dispose of your feces for you?" "It's processed in such a way that it shouldn't smell at all, but... you've got a good nose on you." "Even with a body like this, when I eat something, some of it will still turn into waste." "It all gets automatically packed into this plastic bag." "Sadly, I've spent pretty much all my money on food and these plastic bags." "Lately, it's not been easy getting ahold of these bags." "Without these bags, the lower half of my body would fill up with shit." "If that happens, the stench will make people avoid me when I'm begging." "True enough." "I suppose I could lower myself into the river and wash it all away, but I'm afraid of rivers." "It's hard getting in and even more difficult getting out." "The river's full of stones and I'm scared that they may cause me to lose my balance." "But you probably don't understand how it feels." "No matter." "Your information may be of considerable use to me." "I will dispose of it for you." "There's three days' worth in there." "Thanks a lot." "You've been a great help." "Anything else I can help you with to express my gratitude?" "You look like you're searching for something." "I'll tell you anything you want to know." "If that is so, tell me this:" "where is the Butcher's shop?" "The Butcher's?" "The one with an emblem of a snake's head." "A snake's head..." "Are you sure you want me to tell you where that is?" "What do you mean by that?" "If you go there, there's no coming back." "You may even die." "You're gonna regret... getting mixed up in a fight there." "You'll lose those you care for." "You'll experience unspeakable pain." "Much blood will flow!" "Hey, Kuro!" "Hey, Kuro, where are you?" "!" "You need not answer him." "Kuro, what are you doing?" "Feces..." "Feces?" "!" "What do you mean by feces?" "!" "Get ahold of yourself!" "No need to answer." "You disposed of three days' worth of shit for me." "I appreciate it." ""Shit in both hands, and shit is heard."" ""Does a dog shit or not?"" ""Don't use objects to teach about shit."" ""I don't use shit to explain the ultimate."" ""What is the meaning of the shit coming from the West?"" "Let's go." "Saniwa's in trouble." "Looks like you're too late, Kuro." ""Where have you taken Lady Kuromitsu?" "!"" "You... did this to Saniwa...?" "I did." "Don't you want to know how she ended up like this?" "If you really want to know, I will re-enact everything for you!" "Show me." "Very well!" "Begin!" ""Where..." "Where have you taken Lady Kuromitsu?" "!"" ""What was that, Saniwa?"" ""Lady Kuromitsu is revered by the residents of Kagura." "We all view her in the same light: as the guardian angel of the village." "Because of her," "I once again have the courage to sacrifice my own life to protect her." "That is how unflinching I am in my duty!" "And yet, you lowlifes..."" ""Hell if I know!"" "After saying that, I unleashed my tentacles of ivy." "Then, suddenly..." "A supernatural vortex of flower petals whirled upwards!" "Then, Saniwa said:" ""I am one with the flora and fauna of Kagura forest." "Before your last breath escapes your lungs, tell me the location of Lady Kuromitsu!"" "I grabbed my throat as if I was suffocating, but it was all an act!" "Because my ivy has already..." "How unpleasant." ""'In the beginning... concepts such as beauty... and ugliness... never existed in this world." "Even if they exist now... they are concepts that only exist in the hearts of humankind.'" "Lady Kuromitsu once told me that." "She told me that I was a sacred being."" "And so, that's what happened." "How rude!" "After I was kind enough to tell you what took place!" "You're such an ungrateful jerk." "Everything is an illusion, as if you're lost in the labyrinth of Hell's roads." "You plummet into the infinite darkness." "Is this a blessing or a curse?" "Sometimes you play with bullets!" "Sometimes with cards!" "What name do you go by?" "K-Kagetsu." "H-How dare you!" "Lady Kuromitsu..." "Saniwa..." "I shall never forget... the residents of Kagura." "As you have shown today, what you have achieved in my name has allowed me to move as freely as I do now." "You have truly endeavored greatly for me." "Your soul shall first return to the cycle..." "And then, I shall repay your kindness." "I am not worthy of such words." "Kuromitsu..." "We meet once again, my beloved Kuro." "For you to travel to the distant Kagura..." "It buoys my elated heart." "However, now is not the time for our tender reunion." "What do you mean?" "All shall be revealed at the Red Castle." "Violating three thousand worlds, the black eagle commits murder." "I wanted to stay with you till the break of dawn." "Kuromitsu is...?" "Yeah." "All will become apparent if I travel there." "Therefore, allow me to depart for the Red Castle." "That's the enemy's base..." "You think we can just march in by ourselves?" "Kuro..." "If you..." "If you truly aim to break the curse of time and fate, you'll surely seek out the light..." "There is only one way into the Red Castle." "Over this drawbridge." "Once a day, the bridge is lowered to let the patrol tanks back in." "That'll be our only chance to get inside." "It's gonna be like attacking an iron wall with a needle." "Even so..." "Even so..." "We have to go." "To Kanto..." "To the Red Castle!" "Next Chapter" "Fire Whirlwind Next Chapter"