01x23 - Yuusha no Shinjitsu

[bunniefuu]

I'm no slouch, myself.

Her ether perception...

how's it work?

Gotta figure it out.

In a fight, attention to detail and
quick reactions prevail.

This is your weakness, Yashiro-sama.

Hostages.

So very effective.

I'm sure you'll be pledging
your loyalty to me in no time.

I get it.

A laudable effort.

You can measure how
threatening a foe is, yes?

Sara Pendragon...

How threatening am I?

Compared to your father.

Master! I'm on my way to save you!

Idiot.

The way these swords move...

It's similar to the Count of
Twin Pincers, but different.

If he was nearby, Sara would've
noticed him, for one thing.

The Coffin Count of Storms

might be able to control objects shaped
like people or animals herself.

That's what I thought, but...

whatever she's doing's
got broader applications!

I need to know exactly how it works.

Even if you go down,
don't drop your weapon.

Just like I taught you.

Coffin Count of Storms.

My master is incredibly strong,

enough to dominate you!

Add my strength as his most
beloved pupil to the equation,

and you have less than
a 1% chance of winning!

You keep saying the most
delightful things.

It's so funny.

It's no laughing matter!

It's the truth!

Surrender now, Coffin of Storms.

Before my master's righteous
blade delivers your defeat!

Righteous...?

His righteous blade?

Yashiro-sama, did you hear all that?

She thinks righteousness
exists in our society!

You and Master are not alike!

I can hardly believe you're one of
Reaper Yashiro-sama's students.

And what exactly do you know of my Master?

Something's off here.

Her swords have stopped moving.

Why doesn't she keep them flying?

Is it because she can't?

Is it a trap?

Is she trying to lure me away from Indo?

Your empty threats are meaningless
against a true Brave!

Besides, given that you are nothing close
to Master's preferred type of woman,

nothing you attempt will work.

While he may be the type to turn into
a gigolo when provided with funding,

you alone are the one person
he would not turn to!

So, give it up!

You're able to read minds, yes?

I had intended to leave you intact
like the valuable sample you are,

but now I'm thinking some suffering
should be added to the equation.

Takamiya Kiyohito...

When he ran off with you and vanished,

I realized I had underestimated him.

Especially when we couldn't produce
another compatible specimen.

What are you babbling about?!

I believe your legal name
at the moment is Jogamine Aki, yes?

Hearing a lecture from you
of all people about ethics

makes it hard to contain my laughter.

I've heard that Takamiya Kiyohito
raised you to believe in his ideals...

And as demented a way to play
with dolls as that might be,

it seems the doll herself
took it quite seriously.

The morals you spout so proudly

are nothing more than indoctrination
from your surrogate father.

Without such measures,

he couldn't have manufactured your
personality and memories, yes?

Of all the ingredients
you're concocted from,

his daughter's memories
amount to less than half.

The E4-compatible subject.

The rag doll composed of a
patchwork of corpses...

Jogamine Aki.

Your very existence is Takamiya
Kiyohito's sins incarnate.

I know.

I've died once already.

I may not even resemble
the original Jogamine Aki.

I'm well aware of this.

Do you not realize what
my ether perception is?

I was fully aware of
what my father was thinking.

But as much as my life brought
salvation to my father's,

he brought salvation to mine!

To me, he was a grand, righteous man,

with an honorable soul

and a drive to stand against evil!

A true Brave!

That is what I believed!

And whether that was imagined on my
part or a fantasy does not matter!

What difference does it make?!

Hope is what one needs to fight on!

The hope that you can be, however
slightly, a better person!

Isn't that right, Master?

You're asking me that?

Thinking back, it's natural
we'd think the same way.

Jogamine and I both took
our cues from the same man.

Her high-minded ideals and my reluctance
to be the worst kind of scum...

they're not all that different.

The point of this conversation
was to buy time,

but it's been more productive
than I thought.

But enough's enough.

They're clockwork motions, Master.

She can see wind-up keys in objects.

So, that's what all the chitchat was for.

She needed enough time to sort out the
Coffin Count of Storm's ether perception.

I need to know exactly how it works.

I thought the question in my head,

asking Jogamine for an answer.

Three minutes grasping her
b*stard sword would be a yes.

Loosening her grip would be a no.

Why doesn't she keep them flying?

Is it because she can't?

Is it a trap?

Is she trying to lure me away from Indo?

I need to figure out
how to stop her swords.

Is there a cord, or some other power
source that's connected to them?

She's able to manipulate the swords
without a direct connection to them.

During the conversation,

we were searching for the Coffin
Count of Storm's weakness.

She can control multiple objects
in a semi-independent fashion.

But it seems the only orders
she can give, at a distance,

are to either stop or resume movements.

Come to think of it, those dogs...

they were trying to bite me,

but they didn't react to Jogamine
or Sara's attacks at all.

Which means...

By turning the keys,

the Coffin Count of Storms is able to
charge objects with kinetic energy...

Or, more accurately, she's able to
program them with certain movements.

To her, it's like writing the
script for a puppet show.

You heard her, Sara!

Playing Brave oughta be
enough to win this one!

Don't screw with me!

Know your place!

Nice catch. If Jogamine's take is right,

these things are literally
like wind-up toys...

If they lose their target, they're
not able to move anymore.

Jogamine's a research subject,
so they want her alive.

Sara has value as a hostage.

Indo's the only one she could
k*ll without reservations.

You intend on k*lling me?

Yashiro-sama the Reaper,

you think learning my ether
perception will enable that?

Are you, perhaps,
getting ahead of yourself?

You truly think you can k*ll
me in any meaningful way?

She's bluffing, Master!

The same way you always do!

We have nothing to fear
from the likes of her!

There is no evil that can
withstand a true Brave!

Justice must always prevail!

For the sake of the present,
and the future to come!

And, might I add, I had been wondering
about this transformation,

but it hurts to an extreme degree!

Unforgivable!

I suppose even foolishness can become
irritating past a certain point.

You're not going anywhere!

You've almost got her, Sara!

Another from the right!

Slug her, Sara! Kick her butt!

I'm trying!

Another from the right would've done it...

Are you all right, Yukine?

You can keep resting and watch
our efforts, if you want.

Seeing you in pain hurts me as well.

I'm fine.

And I'm getting in on this.

Maybe don't, Yukine?
You're starting to look pale...

as mochi!

You pests!

Hold on! I'll back you up!

Nah. We should probably
get out of the way.

Got anything to say?

There is one thing I can't understand.

It's the complete lack of consistent
logic behind your actions.

You think? I figured I was pretty
simple to understand, actually.

I'm sure you realize it yourself.

Your hand-to-mouth work ethic,
your participation in pointless battles...

If you persist in such
inefficient efforts,

you'll never be able to
retire from being a Brave.

I can't lie. Money's important.

Just like future prospects.

But those aren't the reasons
I'm in the Brave gig.

First of all, I love seeing
people like you lose all hope.

Then there's how people like you need
someone to give them a good scare.

And thirdly, I love ruining
the lives of people like you.

And to top it off...

You k*lled Ishino, remember?

He was my friend.

Yashiro-sama...

Back then, the first time I saw you...

As you k*lled my minions,
your movements were beautiful,

like a machine.

If I had made you mine...

if I could have turned
you into my own reaper,

how lovely it would have been...

The idea of ruining you myself...

Oh, what a shame!

How?

No one's that fast...

People aren't supposed to have
complete control of their body.

Especially when they're on E3.

But I do.

The sequence that my muscles move in,

the way I shift my weight from
one movement to the next...

I can move as quickly as physically
possible while also reacting to my enemy.

Granted, if I have to be
faster than a Dark Lord,

I can only manage that
for about three seconds.

But it was enough.

What now, Coffin Count of Storms?

The most merciful move would be
to k*ll you like the reaper I am.

Master!

Yeah, I know.

It's not like I have a tape
to get her death cry with.

Not the point, Master!

I get it, I get it.

Justice and all that, right?

Spoken without a hint of conviction!

Master, a Brave does not simply
contribute to the cycle of violence.

By encouraging her to repent,

you'd be making the world a better—

Yeah, all right.

So, option two, I just leave you here.

When my buddy gets here, you'll die ugly.

So, you get a special third option.

Coffin Count of Storms...

You're gonna wanna haul a*s
to grab some beer and pizza.

Oh, and don't forget the gyoza.

I've been avoiding this
place as much as I can.

But now I have to face
the reason behind it all.

Come on, Uncle.

You wanna see the grand assembly hall?

They've got a replica of
King Arthur's Round Table.

Hell no.

Is this far enough?

Nah. I need to go k*ll some time.

I know a good place for that.

The roof. I can show you the way.

Can we drink beer there?

What kinda place do you think
the academy is, Sensei?

We're not allowed to drink anywhere.
We're students, remember?

Okay, so where do you drink your beer?

We don't!

And that's enough, Yukine.

Let him go already.

She's right! You should
relinquish that hand immediately!

Why pretend to be Yukine's
uncle in the first place?!

You could have pretended to be my brother!

Chalk it up to a
visceral revulsion. Sorry.

You don't actually feel sorry at all!

Wow, you noticed?

You some kinda mind reader?

We need to get on the same page as
a team for the exhibition routine!

If you'd please!

Fine, fine.

Come on, we need to get warmed up.

We're counting on you, Yukine.

She's right!

You need to win today, Yukine,

so we can build up momentum!

You're going to actually watch, right?

Yeah.

I'll do my best, then.

As your apprentices,
we swear total victory!

Sure.

You oughta save that kinda talk
for once you've sealed the deal.

No exceptions.

Right on time.

Yashiro the Reaper. Enter.

Let's get this over with.

Can King Arthur see
the future or something?

You don't seem anywhere
as dim as your daughter.

I'm not here for chitchat.

And neither are you.

The fact of the matter is,

I can sense threats the
same way my daughter does.

I'm able to tell the
nature of those threats,

and where and when
they will appear, as well.

Nothing more.

Is this what you're looking for?

There are legends about King Arthur
using a dragon as his symbol, right?

That why you chose it?

In terms you'd understand, yes.

It's a simple joke.

But I believe the person who founded
this organization was quite serious.

I am the leader of Half Dragon.

I figured you were!

King Arthur.

The Round Table Foundation.

If they wanted to,
they could get rid of me, easy.

But, in spite of that...

Next time, on the final episode:

"A Brave's Lie."