01x09 - Fire from the Sky

[bunniefuu]

[epic choral music playing]

[narrator] The True Demon King has died.

The enemy of the world

was defeated by somebody.

But even now, the powers left behind

writhe in multitude.

They cannot be subdued

by ordinary strength.

A hundred shura-like demons…

The world's largest city, Aureatia,

proceeds with the selection of a Hero,

while the leader

of the New Principality of Lithia,

Taren the Guarded,

seeks new order, and governs through fear.

[theme music playing]

ISHURA

[wind gusting]

The heck is all this?

New Principality of Lithia

[Soujirou] Man, am I late?

It looks like things have already started.

I'm guessing those folks from Aureatia

won't be able to get through.

Episode 9 Fire From the Sky

- [soldier 1] Where is the enemy?

- [soldier 2] Prepare more archers!

[soldier 3] Any movement in Aureatia?

[soldier 4] Watch out for cavalry charges!

Don't let a single rider through!

- [Soujirou] Hey!

- [gasps]

[soldiers grunt]

[Soujirou]

Can you guys move out of the way?

I doubt you're much fun to fight.

[tense music playing]

Fire!

- [r*fles firing]

- [whooshes]

[sword clinking]

Only seven b*ll*ts headed for my body.

Why don't you try aiming a bit better?!

[soldier 5] Curse you!

Are you an assassin from Aureatia?

[Soujirou]

I told you to get out of the way.

[grunts]

Huh?

[loud rumbling]

[squirts]

[ominous music playing]

What the heck are you?

[Nihilo] I do feel bad about this,

but all of you must die.

I have to clear a path

for everyone, you see.

- [r*fles firing]

- [Nihilo giggles]

[soldiers clamoring]

[soldier 6] Use the cannons!

Get word to the patrolling wyverns!

Fire the cannons!

[explosions]

[soldiers screaming]

[Nihilo giggles]

[Nihilo] Are the wyvern soldiers

still not here?

I won't be able to clear the path

until I deal with them.

- [Soujirou] Oy!

- Huh?

[Soujirou] Won't you answer me already?

What the heck are you?

[Nihilo] I know who you are,

Soujirou the Willow-Sword.

I'm your ally.

[Soujirou] That's not what I asked.

I won't let you wreak havoc

all by yourself.

If you want to fight, then fight with me!

[laughs softly]

Why should I?

Because you're strong!

- [chuckles]

- [clanks]

[thuds]

[Nihilo] That speed.

Are you really a minia?

It's in your torso.

I've seen it. Your life.

You only have one life, don't you?

That vehicle and the person riding it

join to make one.

[soft groan]

[Nihilo] He may be an ally

of Aureatia too…

Wait, that's exactly why he's dangerous.

[Nihilo] I have no intention

of fighting with you.

Because I've just about finished…

[squirting]

[soldiers screaming painfully]

…taking control of this position.

[heavy stomping]

Hey, wait!

[Soujirou] There's nothing for it.

I'll cut down the spider

and the skeleton together.

[loud crashing]

[Nihilo] Huh?

[air hisses]

The eye…

[laughs]

From just before, huh?

[Nihilo] Not even an ogre's axe

or dragon's breath

can destroy Helneten's armor.

I wonder what kind of sword

he cut me with?

[scoffs]

It seems like

there's someone else

who can k*ll me besides you,

Kuze.

[narrator] She is the one who,

being of the dead,

can adapt to the immense

weight and speed of a steed

that devastates the terrain.

The one who possesses lethal,

long-range weapons that can cut through

armies in a single sweep.

The one with both armor

that blocks all common attacks

and an undying nature

that cannot be stopped.

It was given two bodies,

yet this fierce w*r steed

was sought only for the singular function

of destroying everything in sight.

She is a Cataphract. She is a revenant.

She is Nihilo the Vortical Stampede.

[horse neighs]

[squawks]

Star… Runner.

[wyvern 1] Moved… To Lithia…

[Regnejee] Thanks to him

not appearing right here in Lithia,

we got a grasp on most of his magic items.

To think he'd show his hand so carelessly.

He truly is hopeless.

Listen up, bird brains!

[wyverns mumble]

[wyverns] Listen!

[Regnejee] Alus' greatest attack

is Hillensingen the Luminous Blade.

It fires out a blade of light

the moment it's drawn.

I've had reports that

it extends up to four meters.

Don't waste time guarding against this.

A direct hit would k*ll you anyway.

His other enchanted sword

is called Trembling Bird.

[Regnejee] It's a sword

that flies around on its own,

letting out a loud noise as it goes.

Treat it like

there's another enemy in play.

I've assigned a separate unit

to keep this sword in check.

That's not all. He has an enchanted whip

called Kio's Hand.

[Regnejee] It extends up to 12 meters

or even more.

However,

he sometimes uses it

as a protective barrier around himself.

This is an attack

you should watch out for.

When he does this, the attack range

falls to less than half.

Now repeat after me scum, 12 meters!

[wyverns] Twelve… meters…

Don't… get close…

Have you all remembered that?

His main weapon, a g*n,

has a range beyond that.

[Regnejee] He has poison magic b*ll*ts

that will turn you to sludge

with just a graze,

as well as thunderclap magic b*ll*ts.

You can stop him from firing

by disrupting his sh**ting stance

and stopping him from reloading.

Disruption should take place

from beyond 12 meters.

Those in sacrificial roles, disrupt him

together from beyond a six-meter radius.

Roger… that…

[screeches]

Attack the… Star Runner!

[wyverns snarling]

[Regnejee] Wyverns need no champion.

I will end this here and now.

Ishura Revenant

[wind gusting]

[whooshing]

[ominous music playing]

[clears throat]

[exclaims]

I've not seen that face in a while.

You've been running away for so long,

Three-Armed Alus.

[Regnejee] So you've finally

come home to the swarm.

We even welcome trash like you

here in my swarm.

You can be in charge of procuring food

if you like.

Shut up already.

[wyvern 2 groans]

[cackles]

Don't tell me you're angry.

[Regnejee] Surely not.

You don't possess the brains

required for getting angry.

You crawl around on the ground

and can hardly ride the wind.

A three-armed fool.

That's all you are!

[wyverns snarling]

[wyverns growling]

[wyverns squawking]

A clumsy response, as expected.

Can you guess why I've been

waiting for you here in Lithia?

[g*nf*re]

[tense music playing]

Using a g*n oneself.

Only a fool would do that, right, Alus?

[wyverns snarling]

[Alus] It's a trap.

If I stop, I'll be shot down.

A weapon I could use from this range is…

From Regnejee to the wind of Lithia.

Reversing Mirror Disk.

String-tethered sun.

Illuminate!

[zaps]

[Alus] How irritating.

[g*nf*re]

[tuts]

[Regnejee] He took a calculated hit.

[Alus] Trembling Bird.

[grunts]

Kio's…

[clinks]

[Alus sighs]

From Regnejee to the wind of Lithia.

Reversing Mirror Disk.

String-tethered sun.

Illuminate!

[crackles]

[annoyed grunt]

I've already prepared countermeasures

for Kio's Hand and your Luminous Blade.

That arm of yours is just dead weight now.

[wyverns snarling]

Alus. Three-Armed Alus!

[Regnejee laughing]

[Regnejee]

Let me guess what you're thinking.

You wish you could get your hands

on the Cold Star.

Do you long for it?

That's if your heart

is even capable of such a feeling.

The Cold Star, huh?

[Alus] I don't need such a thing

to destroy a country.

Ground Runner.

[silence]

[explodes]

[rumbling]

[glass shattering]

[rumbling]

[Regnejee] Only the streets are burning.

It's not even a military facility…

A pointless attack.

What about Curte?

The fire hasn't reached Curte.

Only those minian citizens will perish.

[gasps]

[crackles]

Sixteen meters!

[laughs]

I knew you'd been

keeping your full range secret.

It didn't make any difference though.

[Alus] Just what are they?

[Regnejee laughs]

They're different from your average swarm!

[Alus] They're not wyverns…

[Regnejee laughs]

[Regnejee] It took less than four years

to rebuild my swarm

that got destroyed by the True Demon King.

Want to know how I did it?

I've altered their minds with Life Arts.

And I'll do the same to yours.

That's a lie.

Such a thing

is not possible with Life Arts.

[Regnejee] Have you started talking

to buy yourself time?

Three-Armed Alus!

[Regnejee laughs]

The more time passes,

the more obvious your defeat appears.

[g*nf*re]

This is the New Principality.

I can mobilize

as many minian sn*pers as I please.

From the moment you arrived,

they've been gathering

in this district, slowpoke!

You've always talked a lot, Regnejee.

[Regnejee] That's right!

Repent now. Admit defeat.

I'm talking to give you that chance.

I'm trying to get you to understand

just how much of a mistaken,

useless piece of trash you are.

Think carefully now, Alus!

My tactics have beaten yours!

[wyverns snarl]

[intense music playing]

[clinks]

[Alus] Right…

Time…

I needed more time.

[Regnejee] He's finished.

I'm the one who was right.

[gasps]

All soldiers descend! Pursue him!

[Regnejee] Assume enemy survival

and surround Alus the Star Runner!

Once you find him, don't let him escape.

Even if it costs your lives!

Our lives…

Surround… Roger that…

Stop repeating what I said

and get going, scum!

[wyverns screeching]

[Regnejee] For some reason,

no blood was spilled

when those b*ll*ts hit him just now.

Suppose his every move

since releasing the flames had a reason…

That means he plans to fly low!

[Alus] Greatshield of the Dead.

[chiming]

[wings flapping overhead]

[wyvern] I found him!

I found Alus the Star Runner!

Executing… follow-up attack!

These guys really creep me out.

[whip rattling]

- [whip whooshes, cracks]

- [groans]

[crackles]

- [soldier 7] Where is he?

- [soldier 8] Keep going down!

Darn. We can't see a thing with this fire.

- [whooshes]

- [soldiers gasp]

[Alus] Consider the problem

and take measures.

- [shotgun fires]

- [soldiers groan]

That's right, take measures.

I never ran away from the swarm like you.

[chiming]

[Regnejee] I won't let you run anymore.

You will be k*lled

by the very swarm you ran from!

You sound like you wanted to run away too.

[Alus] You know,

one usually runs away from enemies.

Which means you considered

your own swarm to be your enemy.

[Regnejee] Trash! Burn and die here!

Three-Armed Alus!

expl*sives?

[gasps]

- [grunts]

- [explodes]

[roars]

[explodes]

These guys are insane.

They have no freedom at all.

Such creatures are not wyverns.

[Regnejee laughs]

[Regnejee] That's right!

They are no longer wyverns!

[wings flapping]

From Regnejee to the wings of Eupa.

Dizzying dome, glistening golden shards.

Unravel!

[insects buzzing]

Fool!

You're a helpless fool!

Do you really think it was your own

determination that brought you this far?

[gasps]

Scissor beetles.

Insects I control with my Life Arts.

They're attracted

to the smell of smoke on you.

[Regnejee] In Mage City,

you burned quite a few

of my soldiers, didn't you?

[choking]

You inhaled smoke from the pots.

Smoke from the self-destructing wyverns

has attached to your respiratory system.

The position I cornered you in

with the self-destruct attacks

is a hunting ground

surrounded by beetle nests!

[Regnejee] Everything you thought of,

every single thing from the very start,

was all included in my tactical planning.

What do you think will happen now?

The beetles will eat through

your palate and nostrils,

and ravage the part of the brain

that controls free will.

[gasping]

Shall I guess what you're thinking now?

[Alus] Guess…

what I'm thinking…

[Regnejee]

"He's come to the front of the swarm."

"I'll use the last of my strength

to attack suddenly

and take down the commander."

[Alus] Attack…

You'll wave your Luminous Blade around.

[groans]

[Alus panting]

Measures…

Consider the problem, and take measures.

From Regnejee to the wings of Eupa.

Dizzying dome, glistening golden shards.

Unravel.

[insects buzzing]

[choking]

[choking continues]

[Alus breathing roughly]

[Regnejee] Your life was meaningless.

Including the treasures

and fame you gathered.

Do you know of singing?

I found a true treasure.

Greater than you ever found.

[breathes heavily]

[breathes raspily]

I thought so.

Huh?

[groans]

To the top…

[Regnejee] What now?

Don't you know I've beaten you?

I thought you'd run to the top.

[baffled groan]

[melancholy music playing]

[Regnejee] If he had been

controlling the flames this whole time…

[triumphant music playing]

[explodes]

[all exclaim]

[chiming]

[fire crackling]

Ground Runner.

[triumphant music playing]

[fire blazing]

[hissing]

You spoke too much, Regnejee.

[coughs]

[Alus] Had you kept silent,

you'd have posed more of a challenge.

[wings flapping]

Hm?

[wings flapping in distance]

[labored breathing]

This is goodbye.

[closing theme music playing]

Next: Episode 10

Vanishing Calamity