01x04 - The Shadows of Shinjuku

[bunniefuu]

[VELTOL]

Pardon me.

-[MALE OGRE 3C] Is this joker

with your family? -Hey!

[VELTOL] Takahashi, can I

safely assume that small,

ominous box is the item

we're stealing?

[MALE FOX 3A]

That's enough!

Only the most trusted members

of each of our families..

[TAKAHASHI]

Yup.

That's the goal.

[gasps]

Wait. What?

[TAKAHASHI]

How's the Familia-less wonder

chatting with me?

[VELTOL] I simply reproduced

the Familia's

aether communications

using my own magic.

Enemies are few.

I can easily subdue them.

[sighs]

Fine, but no k*lling.

I'll try to refrain.

Only the living can

appreciate the power

that comes from a million

faithful subscribers!

Who are you

and why are you here?

[chuckles]

Immortal Evening!

Hello! I am Demon Lord

Veltol Velvet Velsvalt!

Grovel, fools and subscribe!

[VELTOL] Not

a single spark of recognition.

I must work harder.

[MALE OGRE 3A] What

kinda game are you playing?

Well, I have recently come into

a colossal amount of faith,

and I wish to test it on you.

Try to stay standing

through my warm-up.

Just what the hell are you

gabbing about,

you hippy-hair b*tch?

All that hair is digging

into his brain!

[scoffs]

Rather low-level insults.

You're nothing compared

to the haters in my chat.

We've heard enough from you!

Vestum.

[laser firing]

♪

Impossible.

[VELTOL]

Is that all?

It's my turn now.

[groans]

[MALE FOX 3A]

You b*stard!

[VELTOL]

Pathetic.

The mobs in the prologue of BS

proved a far greater challenge!

I'm sick of you!

Now, die!

I made ya look!

[g*nsh*t]

-[groans]

-[MALE OGRE 3C] Huh?

[groans]

[VELTOL]

Takahashi, it is done.

Whoa. Damn, dude!

You really are

a Demon Lord, huh?

You just busted up those

yakuza bare-handed!

He shot his ally.

That was your doing?

[Takahashi giggles]

[TAKAHASHI] Yup!

Just a little aether hack-age!

I cracked into

the uggo's Familia

and overwrote his perception.

It was easy-peasy!

[VELTOL]

I see.

In retrospect,

you didn't need the help.

Now, let's hurry up

and grab that box!

I'll head on in.

-[VELTOL] Don't. Not yet.

-Huh?

[MALE PILOT 4A]

Plunder Three to HQ.

Presumed enemy as*ault

on point 1908

has been confirmed.

[expl*si*n ]

♪

[laser firing]

Hello.

A Magino-Gear?

No freaking way!

[TAKAHASHI]

That's a fourth-generation MG,

an Ashed Dawn!

Those are reserved

for City Guard special forces.

The yakuza shouldn't have one!

[VELTOL] I have never witnessed

one in person.

It's beautiful.

[TAKAHASHI]

Not the time, man!

Now, get out of there!

This is a fight

even you can't win!

It shall prove

an excellent test of my power.

[laser firing]

[MALE PILOT 4A]

Plunder Three speaking.

Commencing elimination

of target.

♪

[scoffs]

[laser firing]

[laser firing continues]

[beeping]

[laser firing]

Dell Ray!

[wind gushing]

[VELTOL] I doubt that will

be enough to destroy the enemy.

[laser firing]

[VELTOL]

At my full power,

I would've pierced

through it with ease.

[swoosh]

[VELTOL] I suppose

that the faith provided

by my subscribers

would have its limits.

A measly million.

You're really flexing

that sub count!

So, what if I am?

Let's have some fun.

[VELTOL]

Gradschere.

[TAKAHASHI] This

is majorly bad news, Velly!

Are you trying to draw me

into close combat?

I respect your nerve!

[grunts]

[laughter]

I thought your trappings

were armor.

But now I know

they are much more!

Don't tell me that's all.

I want to see

what you're truly capable of!

[smirks]

[VELTOL]

Splendid

[MALE PILOT 4A]

Target eliminated.

Proceeding to retrieve

the objective.

-[VELTOL] Slow down.

-Huh?!

This game is not yet over.

[MALE PILOT 4A] Huh?

But your head!

[VELTOL] You have shown

considerable skill.

It is clear

you have gone through

a great deal of training.

What you lack is

true combat experience.

♪

A brief word of advice.

"During victory,

grip your hilt the tightest."

[gasps]

As a reward

for your brave efforts.

[VELTOL]

The sight of my dark sword.

Engrave this moment upon

the slate of your soul.

Rampage in the black sky.

Vernal!

♪

[VELTOL] It so pains me

that I cannot show you

its full capabilities

at this time.

But take the opportunity

to bask in

what glory you are able,

mortal.

[VELTOL]

What's the matter?

Are you too scared to move?

[MALE PILOT 4A] [whimpering]

You monster.

♪

[thuds]

Though it is clear you fought

with much heart,

you were up against

the wrong foe.

[VELTOL]

Now, it's time for you to talk.

[MALE PILOT 4A]

Plunder three to HQ.

Target is alive.

I failed to retrieve

the objective.

I am unable to continue

and have no choice

but to execute

Code 80-90.

♪

[TAKAHASHI]

Velly!

-[panting] -This cube.

It is your treasure, isn't it?

Yeah, but, bro,

did that robo-giant

seriously decapitate you?

Indeed.

You don't get to "indeed" me

when my lunch is halfway up

my freaking throat!

I'm shocked to see weapons

able to enhance

an individual's power

so greatly.

What a frightening age.

Hold the phone!

Forget the age, it's you!

A dude able to take down

a Magino-Gear

is the definition

of frightening!

Huh?

[TAKAHASHI]

Wait. It's an IHMI unit.

No way the yakuza could get

their hands on this.

We must be in too deep.

How scary.

I knew that this gig

was going to be risky,

but we're in uncharted

waters now, my demonic bestie!

[VELTOL]

More importantly.

Are you always so chill

or do you have a death wish?

-[VELTOL] What is this?

-Huh?

It's a data storage device

made out of mithril.

My client seems to be

interested in the files

they're storing inside.

[TAKAHASHI] Which means

it's time for the sneaks

to take some peeks!

We're allowed?

[TAKAHASHI] It's fine.

You're curious too, right?

My client is smart enough

to know

I need to see

what the drama is about.

♪

A blank page?

♪

This some kinda hit list?

These people, their names,

they're my immortal subjects.

All of them?

-[VELTOL] Yes.

-Huh.

Is Machina's name here?

[TAKAHASHI]

Nope, all clear.

That's good.

I'm gonna give my client a call

and see what's up.

Just a second.

[grunts]

I can't get a hold of him,

but he's always

next-level weird

about answering his phone.

I guess I'll just have

to go in person.

All right. This matter is now

my concern, so I will join you.

If someone is harboring malice

toward the immortals

it is my duty as their king

to protect them.

[VELTOL] This apartment

building is enormous.

[TAKAHASHI] My client

lives up on the 13th floor.

To anybody that does

my kind of work in this city,

he's practically famous.

[VELTOL] Famous, eh?

Clearly quite wealthy, too.

♪

-So, was that more hacking?

-[chuckles]

If you couldn't guess

from my previous work,

I'm apartment security's

worst nightmare.

-Hold on.

-Huh?

May I please do

the button pressing?

Yeah, sure. But why?

That's simple.

I enjoy button pressing.

[beeps]

So, you're into both kicking

butt and pushing buttons.

Mm-hmm.

Oh. I forgot that we can't

pop up to the 13th floor

directly from the first.

Press two to start.

Now press 17.

Take us to the 4th.

All the way to the top.

And finally, the 13th.

Why dally with that bother?

Eh, bet he likes

the added security.

Careful. My client, Ejyu,

can be crazy paranoid.

There are traps built in

all over the floor.

If you try to move through

too fast or get lazy

and accidentally step on one,

you'll be Swiss cheese

in a matter of seconds.

Understood.

[VELTOL] Hm?

Nope. No traps here.

[TAKAHASHI] Huh? Hey!

Slow your freaking roll, dude!

Well, to be more precise,

there were both physical

and magical traps here,

but they are no longer armed.

You can tell all that, too?

Yes. As Demon Lord,

constructing and maintaining

dungeons was my job.

Discerning the location

of traps is light work.

[doorbell rings]

Come on, old man.

I didn't take you for the type

to ignore a friendly doorbell.

[VELTOL]

Huh?

It's open.

[TAKAHASHI]

Something's off.

Ejyu would never be

this careless.

[door creaks]

Ew! The heck is that smell?

It's not safe here.

Proceed with caution.

[TAKAHASHI]

Will do.

Looks like nobody's home.

Come on.

[door opens]

Oh! No napping

on the job, geezer!

Wakey-wakey!

Uh

[gasps]

He-he's dead!

[VELTOL]

Mm. That face.

-[TAKAHASHI] You met him?

-I did, just once.

Though his dress was

far shabbier at the time.

Yeah.

He liked to disguise himself

as a homeless dude

when he went out

to gather intel.

He has stab wounds

to both the heart and the neck.

From the moisture in the blood,

it would seem he was k*lled

just days ago.

[TAKAHASHI]

Huh?

[VELTOL] I'm sure

the death of your client

comes as quite the shock.

[TAKAHASHI] I mean,

he did have a lot of enemies.

Oh, no.

This wasn't an act of hate.

[VELTOL] The wounds

do not convey any emotion.

His m*rder was rather

business-like.

So, it was a hit?

And ex*cuted by

a skilled hitman.

Clearly. Must've been one hell

of a grudge

if they felt the need to sic

a top tier assassin

on the poor guy.

Would they have needed to

destroy his Familia as well?

[TAKAHASHI]

Prolly just a coincidence.

[VELTOL] If their goal

was simply to k*ll him

that blow to his heart

surely did the job.

You think the real goal

was destroying the info

on his Familia?

Mm.

I wonder if it has to do

with the job he sent me on.

And when did you accept

the assignment?

A week ago.

He was k*lled

soon after hiring you.

What a shame.

That list is the only lead

we have.

No. We've got more to mine.

[TAKAHASHI] Ejyu was best known

as an information broker.

But he was also

an aether hacker.

A Familia has to be connected

to the net at all times,

so it's a bad hiding place.

A guy like him

would have kept his intel

on a stand-alone

storage device.

[TAKAHASHI] It's still got

some juice in it.

No way.

In what world would he not

put a password on this thing?

[keys clacking]

[TAKAHASHI]

All the files on here

are smashed to smithereens!

-No, they're not.

-Huh?

Look how the files

are arranged in the folder.

Huh? Got it!

This is a program array!

I'm impressed

you could figure it out, Velly!

[TAKAHASHI]

Let's go.

Bingo! You were right on

the money!

Wowzah, that "bingo" sounded

super trad-hacker-core

of me, huh?

[VELTOL]

I know little of hackers

and naught of their cores.

"Immortal Furnace Project."

[TAKAHASHI]

Let's see.

Hey. I don't know

who will find this message,

but if you're watching

right now,

that means I'm dead.

[laughs]

Now, there's

an action movie moment!

-A dumb-dumb till the end.

-[EJYU] Whoever you are,

I'll try to make it

quick for you.

Here's the deal.

Our town isn't what it seems.

Our prosperity rests

on the back of evil.

[both gasp]

[EJYU]

Long story short,

it starts at the most basic

level of infrastructure.

The aether reactor,

our power source.

It runs off the lives

of the innocent.

I'll paint a picture for you.

[EJYU] The reactor draws in

aether from lines

running through the ground.

These lines are powered

by the planet's core.

It converts that energy

into magic and electricity

and distributes it out.

To provide enough electricity

for a city as large

as Shinjuku,

the reactor would need

to rest atop

roughly ten overlaid

aether lines.

However, according to

a geological survey

conducted before

the first City w*r,

there are only two

overlaid aether lines

beneath the reactor

within this entire region.

So, at this point

in the presentation,

I'm sure

you're saying to yourself,

"two measly lines couldn't

provide Shinjuku with power."

You're right.

What's more, electricity is

promised everywhere

in the cryotolerance zone.

Not just in the big city.

[EJYU]

It's safe to assume

there must be another

energy source

supplementing the insufficient

overlay.

That energy source has a name.

The Immortal Furnace Project.

[EJYU]

It's simple, really.

The furnace is

a ritual magic device

that burns souls

and converts them into aether.

Since immortals are higher

spiritual entities,

one of their souls can be

converted into more aether

than the souls of

tens of thousands of mortals.

The more powerful the immortal,

the more energy they provide.

If you want to know

who built the beast,

recovered data says

low-income workers.

People without homes

or whose homes

are away from the city.

Or "were.'

Once finished,

all of the construction workers

vanished completely.

Likely, they were k*lled

to keep the project secret.

IHMI is your villain.

They treat the immortals

like fuel,

outright calling them

"firewood."

I did some digging,

and I believe

I found the first immortal

used as firewood

to stoke their evil furnace.

[EJYU] Karmic Sword Zenol,

one of the Six Dark Peers.

IHMI drummed up hate

with the Immortal Hunts.

People were leaving immortals

gift wrapped on their doorstep.

More fuel for their flames.

For me, after I ran into

an IHMI assassin

a few months back,

research slowed way down.

I managed to escape,

but they've completely

blocked progress.

That's why I've had to hire

a hacker friend

to do my bidding.

I caught wind of a deal,

and I needed in.

The yakuza

was going to be selling

a list of living immortals

to IHMI.

It's a sign

they're running out of firewood

and I imagine their furnace

is on its last legs.

Once they run out of souls

to burn,

the Immortal Furnace

will stop providing us aether.

Simply put,

the heart of Shinjuku

will cease to beat,

and its body will die.

Be that as it may,

something like

the Immortal Furnace

should not exist.

[EJYU] I've organized

the data I gathered

and saved it to this PC.

To whoever is watching,

it's in your hands now.

I'm sorry for burdening you

with this knowledge.

Forgive a dead man.

Well, I wish you

the best of luck

and hope that you find

some peace.

A great place to start would be

looking for the old Demon Lord.

How hard can it be

to track down

a centuries old immortal king?

[chuckles]

[TAKAHASHI] What

they've done is unforgivable.

We'll make them pay.

We have to.

[VELTOL]

How do we do that?

Shall we upload his intel

to the net?

I dunno.

[VELTOL] I wonder what

would happen to those

living in Shinjuku if this

information was revealed

and the Immortal Furnace

shut down?

I suppose that before

any grand reveal could occur,

we would be m*rder*d like him,

and the data would be erased.

My people are in danger.

I will not sit back

for a second.

It is my duty to stop this.

This battle is not yours.

I shall be first in command.

Right.

Well, to start

can we at least report

the body to the city guard?

I'd seriously feel awful

leaving him like this.

Fair enough.

[VELTOL] I need to get Machina

up to date on our findings.

[TAKAHASHI]

Yeah.

[VELTOL]

Machina, have a moment?

[gasps]

Machina?

Something wrong?

♪

[MACHINA]

The Depths of the Crucible.