01x14 - Episode 14

[bunniefuu]

♪Trapped in this tiny world♪

♪I'm crushed into dust♪

♪I meddle around without any mercy♪

♪I'm my own pawn♪

♪I sigh at my fate♪

♪Numerous people are under my control♪

♪All the sand is washed away♪

♪An old dream fades♪

♪A bumpy path lies ahead♪

♪Traps within traps, I never make mistakes♪

♪I take a risk at every step♪

♪Even in disputes, I break through with my life♪

♪Schemes within schemes, I prison myself♪

♪Each link swaps bluff and truth♪

♪The world is my Weiqi game board♪

♪Everything's just fleeting♪

♪The play begins♪

♪No return is expected♪

♪The flame is gone, whether we win or lose♪

♪The wind never ceases. I hold the reins♪

[Ashes To Crown]

[Adapted from Xixing's novel, Empress of the State of Chu]

[Episode 14]

- I'll k*ll you! - I'll k*ll you!

I'll k*ll you!

Die!

You deserve to die!

Die!

Drop dead!

You took General Chu's life!

Die!

I'll k*ll you!

You treacherous parasite!

You ferocious little thing.

You've got a vicious bite.

I hurt your men.

Just go ahead and k*ll me.

You wish to die?

Do you know why?

Because deep down,

you still cling to life.

Since you're not going to die today,

you're coming with me.

k*ll him!

Give way!

Stand clear!

Move aside!

- Clear out, all of you! - Make way!

Whatever Xie Yanlai's crimes may be,

he will face a military tribunal.

None of you may take justice into your own hands!

On your feet.

At that time,

we knew that medicine

was meant to save the General.

Nobody could have foreseen

that it would end up like this.

The court even honored your service

and rewarded you for the Northern Desert campaign.

Why are you groveling?

Who are you trying to atone to?

Honored?

That honor was bought with the General's life.

We had

no better choice back then.

You...

Wrong is wrong.

There is no excuse for it.

♪Light shatters into silhouettes♪

♪A lingering mark on my palm♪

♪Hooves thunder through the ashes of w*r♪

♪Riding the wild wind straight into the dawn♪

Since when does Yunzhong Prefecture

allow vigilante justice?

♪A vivid life♪

♪Bathed in tears♪

♪Surging toward the dawn♪

♪Let it burn until there's nothing left♪

♪We crown our pain like glory♪

♪Give that long-held wish a chance♪

♪Let's run straight into the ruins♪

♪I'd spend the rest of my life with you♪

♪Even if longing turns to ash♪

♪And forms a timeless monument♪

Your Highness, please discern the truth!

General Chu died a senseless death,

and we cannot stomach

this injustice!

He's a monster in human skin!

If he is innocent of General Chu's m*rder,

why submit to punishment so readily?

Did any of you actually witness

him commit the m*rder?

Xie Yanlai.

Before the people of Yunzhong Prefecture,

I will ask you one last time.

Did you truly intend

to harm my father?

Your Highness,

you mustn't believe a word he says.

He's of the Xie Family!

He entered my father's service at sixteen.

Xie Yanlai is first a soldier of the Chu Army,

only then, a member of the Xie Family.

If you wonder

how my father died,

I shall lay bare the truth now.

Army Physician!

The poison that struck the General

is known as the Bloodburn Pill,

refined from several lethal toxins.

In a short span,

it forces the blood to race

and causes a violent surge of physical strength.

It can even grant a dying man

a final, fleeting burst of vitality.

Three years ago,

at the Battle of the Frontier River,

General Chu was struck by a poisoned arrow.

The Army Physician was entirely helpless.

I watched as the General

coughed up blood relentlessly.

It was Jiu's pill

that dragged the General back

from the very brink of death.

We believed that medicine

was his last hope.

But who could have guessed

it would only defer the General's demise at a terrible cost?

Yet, if we hadn't used it that day,

the General

would have perished on the spot.

Did we truly misjudge him?

In the fourteenth year of Tianshu,

Jiu first joined Yunzhong Prefecture.

While on patrol,

he discovered a Northern Desert scout infiltrating our frontier.

Though only a boy

of sixteen,

he fought them off at all costs,

sustaining multiple stab wounds,

one just half a cun from his heart.

In the fifteenth year of Tianshu,

when the Northern Desert troops raided a frontier village,

General Chu led the counterattack.

Jiu took a spear strike

meant for the General on his shoulders,

shielding the entire village.

In the sixteenth year of Tianshu,

when the enemy struck again,

he defended the frontier river with the General.

He took two hits

amidst a hail of arrows,

but managed to chop down the drawbridge,

halting

the enemy's advance

and sparing the State of Chu

from total devastation.

And during the recent battle of Wangcheng,

he infiltrated the enemy camp alone

to sabotage their provisions and water supplies,

nearly losing his life in the fray.

Would a man like this

truly harm

his own commander?

Every scar on Jiu's body was earned

while shielding you all.

If you want to take his life,

look at those wounds

and ask yourselves

if your consciences can bear it.

Are we to k*ll a man

who saved General Chu,

Yunzhong Prefecture,

and the State of Chu,

just on a rumor?

Back then,

Fu Jiu snuck into a Northern Desert camp

to save us

and took the branding for us

when he was discovered.

Back at the frontier river,

I was about to be crushed

under the enemy cavalry.

It was Fu Jiu who dragged me back.

I saw him

risk his life for the General.

I refuse to believe

a man like that could turn traitor.

Look

at all his scars.

Fighting the Northern Desert troops

must have been a constant dance with death.

Thank you.

I was just telling...

the people what really happened.

This incident did not happen by chance.

Someone must be pulling the strings.

It is all my fault.

If he hadn't taken the medicine I provided...

Zhao.

I know you hate me.

You have every right to.

I did hate you once.

But I realize

that you were merely a convenient outlet

for my grief and fury.

I felt so utterly powerless,

with no one to hold accountable

or to blame.

After all,

this was my father's choice.

He chose to die

on the b*ttlefield as a commander,

claiming one final victory

over his lifelong nemesis, the Northern Desert King.

And I was there,

fighting right alongside him.

He lived his final moments

to the fullest,

with no regrets.

I have no right to blame you.

If anything...

I ought to thank you.

The General dictated this,

ordered me to record it

and bring it to you.

Zhao,

to read these words is to meet again.

Last night, I saw you in my dreams.

You were still that young girl,

spurring your horse away from home.

I reached out to hold you back,

but my hand caught nothing but drifting sand.

Only now do I realize

that nineteen years on the b*ttlefield

have long stripped me

of the right to be your father.

That year, you asked me in tears

why I kept you confined to the desolate desert.

I mistook it for youthful rebellion.

I never understood that what you yearned for

was never the Capital's splendor,

but merely a light left burning beneath the eaves

to welcome you home.

I've heard that the noble ladies of the Capital are prideful and harsh.

I cannot bear to think how much scorn

you've endured among them.

Every time the thought crosses my mind,

it tears at my very soul.

For nineteen years,

I was not there to guide your early steps,

nor to instruct you in the classics.

I am consumed

by remorse.

If life could start again,

you would not be called the daughter of a hero,

but of Chu Ling, of mine.

Might that be enough?

General.

I'll fetch the Army Physician.

Finish it.

I have spent

half my life in the saddle.

I've failed none

but my wife and daughter.

Now, I ask for nothing

but your forgiveness.

Though tomorrow I may fall on the b*ttlefield,

I shall embrace death with a smile.

Zhao,

water flows forward, never to return.

Do not look back.

Keep moving forward.

From your father, Chu Ling,

in his final hour.

Stop.

Jiu.

Why didn't he tell me

these things sooner?

If he had just spoken up earlier,

I might have had time

to make amends.

And my mother.

She will never hear

what I longed to tell her.

I know.

I understand.

The last words

of my father

were that w*r is too cruel.

He asked when it would finally end.

My father gave his life

for this victory.

But if the flames of w*r are never quenched,

what meaning did their sacrifice have?

I will ensure

the State of Chu

never again

paves the road to peace with blood.

I will make sure

the children of this land

never lose their parents

to the scourge of w*r.

Playing the saint again, are you?

You claim you can shield an entire city,

but can you even protect yourself?

What good is a second chance at life?

You still had to

watch your father die

and your mother meet her bitter end.

But neither of them

regretted the choices they made.

Self-delusion, nothing more.

Lest you forget,

your enemies

remain untouched.

Not just Xiao Xun,

but the Northern Desert that destroyed your parents.

If I were you,

I would march the army against the Northern Desert now

and drown them in a reckoning of blood.

No.

The frontier troops have bled far too much.

And what of it?

Glory is built upon bones.

w*r demands sacrifice.

Their blood means nothing to you.

The army is yours to wield.

Speak the word,

and they shall obey,

and bleed for your cause.

Don't you want

to avenge your parents upon the Northern Desert King?

Mercy is weakness.

Only slaughter endures.

The pond

needs cleaning.

What a plump chicken.

Look at this one.

Give it to me.

Miss Chu.

Miss Chu.

Miss Chu.

It's rare

to see you out so early.

What are you looking for?

You're welcome to choose from my shop.

Take your time.

Do come by when you're free.

Sweet and crisp pears.

Miss Chu.

Miss Chu.

Miss Chu.

These pears were freshly picked.

Please, try some.

No, thank you.

You should keep them.

The harvest has been exceptional this year.

Just take them as a share of our good fortune.

When General Chu was still with us,

he always loved our pears.

Please, take it.

I'll take it.

Alright.

Miss Chu, I'll get back to work then.

This gadget

can also be used to catch rats.

Is that so?

Take a look.

Fresh flatbread.

Hot flatbread.

Get your fresh flatbread here.

These flatbreads are meant for sale,

so stop gorging yourself on them.

Are you

some kind of gluttonous beast?

I'm giving you a beating right now.

Stop right there.

Have you been out brawling again?

Did you lose?

I won.

It was three against one,

and I left every single one of them eating dirt.

You're covered in bruises.

What is there to be proud of?

They were calling me

a motherless child.

And so,

you used your fists to shut them up?

Why did I allow you to practice martial arts

in the first place?

To beat people up.

To protect the defenseless.

Your fists

should be aimed at villains,

not at children

your own age,

and certainly never at your own people.

What's on your mind?

I was just thinking

about something my father said.

See?

My father didn't give his life

for

these cold city walls,

but for the laughter

and lives

within them.

Seemingly ordinary,

and insignificant though they be,

yet these things are held dear

above all price in every heart.

I seek no grand vision

of a tranquil realm.

I ask only that the hearth-smoke of Yunzhong Prefecture

rises each day,

and that mothers

may stand at their gates

awaiting their children

to come home for dinner.

The worst thing

these people should have to worry about

is if the price of rice has gone up by a few wen tomorrow.

That is enough.

We drift

through our days,

sunrise to sunset,

unaware

that this life we take for granted

is the very thing others would kneel and pray for,

yet never get.

Maybe in the farmer's eye, the pears

taste sweeter than they did last year,

right?

Jiu.

Please guard Yunzhong Prefecture

in my father's stead.

Become the sharpest blade

in the State of Chu, just as Chu Ling once was.

I will.

Your Highness, there is stirring from the Northern Desert.

An enemy scouting team

is probing our frontier.

What's the situation?

The enemy's vanguard launched a surprise raid on our fortress.

Our left flank has deployed to encircle and eliminate them.

Your Highness, please rest assured.

We can split our forces

and strike the Chi'na Unit's

main army.

Wait.

The scout actually pinpointed

the exact movements of Chi'na Unit's main force.

During the last battle,

the Northern Desert King's main troops

retreated at least eighty li.

Their elite forces

are still stationed

[Yingzui Cliff]
near Yingzui Cliff.

It is physically impossible

for the Chi'na Unit

to appear here within a mere two days.

This surprise raid

is a tactical trap.

Then our left flank is walking into a disaster.

More than just a disaster.

If this truly is an ambush,

our left flank will be entirely wiped out.

We must crush this offensive

before it can even develop.

But our reserves can only hold one front.

If we divert troops to reinforce the flank,

our main defensive line

will be left completely exposed.

Then we'll borrow forces.

From whom?

The Cangmu Stronghold.

Defeating Tie Ying at Cangmu Forest

came down

to their familiarity

with woodland combat,

an advantage our troops could not match.

If we can harness their strength

to coordinate with our forces,

the victory will be ours.

But the Cangmu Stronghold is...

My father has just passed away.

Neither the army's morale nor the people's trust must waver.

Should we fall in this battle,

the Northern Desert will strike with all their might.

Mr. Zhong,

we have no retreat.

Very well.

We will proceed as you suggest.

Rest assured.

I will fight

to my last breath to secure victory.

Xie Yanlai, take your orders.

Yes, Your Highness.

Go...

And stay alive.

This is no military order.

This is my order.

Yes, Your Highness.

♪Broken walls and withered branches, trapped in the mire♪

♪Yet still striving to reach for the sky♪

♪My pride is torn down and my body is sacrificed♪

♪Through biting winds and frost I go♪

♪I light a lamp, my lone abode♪

♪Half my life adrift♪

♪This lonely shadow finds no haven to moor♪

♪The spark smolders in the crack♪

♪And roars in the blaze♪

♪Burning the cold night until daybreak♪

Move out!

♪Fate imprisons me♪

♪But I won't beg the abyss for mercy♪

♪Even if hope is faint, I remain proud♪

♪A mayfly will cross the ocean, however long it takes♪

♪However it ends up, I'll go my own way♪

♪With no fear of the distance♪

♪Born from decay, fireflies still burn♪

♪With sword in hand, I'll pierce the dawn♪

♪Let these scars all over me become♪

♪My new pride♪

[Xie Residence]

Deng Yi actually had the audacity

to investigate our old estate in Gaoyang.

The news about Xie Yanlai

and the Bloodburn Pill

must have been leaked by him as well.

Deng Yi

is actually targeting my clan.

He is truly ruthless,

bent on

wiping out my entire clan.

Deng Yi is a man of profound calculation.

If not for your benevolence,

how could he have been allowed to live until this day?

He was the Grand Mentor appointed by the late Emperor

and holds the position of Regent,

so he cannot be easily disposed of.

Moreover, he still has

Xiao Xun as a fallback plan.

Since Xiao suffered a setback in Wangcheng,

he will certainly not let the matter rest.

A fallback plan?

He calculated everything in the battle of Wangcheng,

yet his entire plan fell through.

He can barely save himself now.

Although the Northern Desert was defeated,

this w*r was like a massive earthquake.

The real aftershocks

are just about to begin.

Xiao Xun will definitely bide his time to make a move.

Keep a close eye

on Xiaonan Prefecture.

Yes.

Zhao,

however anxious you are, you must eat something.

Mr. Zhong,

I have no appetite.

Victory!

Victory!

Your Highness,

Assistant General Xie has won!

He routed the enemy's vanguard

and captured their King's son-in-law alive!

- Victory! - Victory!

Our troops' morale is now secure.

General Zhong,

you can rest assured now.

With Her Highness here,

a great victory is all but certain.

Quick!

Report our triumph to the Capital at once!

Let everyone know

that even though Guard General Chu Ling is gone,

the frontier still achieves great victories,

and the state remains secure.

Yes!

- Victory! - Victory!

There is a city ahead.

Go in and announce the victory.

Have the yamen spread the news across the region!

The Northern Desert has returned,

their cavalry has broken through Bailang Pass,

and Yunzhong Prefecture shall fall within three days.

The Northern Desert army marches straight for the Capital!

The Northern Desert army marches straight for the Capital!

The Northern Desert army marches straight for the Capital!

Your Highness,

there is one thing I do not understand.

Speak.

We are already at odds

with the Northern Desert,

so why do you still believe

they will help us?

You are wrong, Tie Ying.

Since the battle of Wangcheng,

I have expected nothing more from them.

To share dominion?

It is nothing but their idle dream.

The w*r with the Northern Desert

has shaken the land,

and the aftershocks are bound to follow.

With Chu Ling gone,

the Northern Desert King

will seize the moment to invade.

I will use them

to shackle Yunzhong Prefecture.

So what if Chu Zhao wins the battle?

As long as the news

never reaches the Capital,

this victory never happened.

We've k*lled the dispatch riders

and turned news of victory into news of defeat.

Once the Capital descends into panic,

be it victory or defeat,

I'll have my pretext to march under the banner

of protecting the Capital.

And when that moment comes,

it will be time

for someone else to sit on the throne.

Your Highness is wise.

What task is this

that has distressed

Your Majesty so?

How could any task trouble me?

I am writing a letter to Zhao.

The loss of parents is something

no words can console.

I know.

Your Majesty,

Mr. Xie requests an audience.

It is so late.

Tell Mr. Xie that I have retired for the night.

But Mr. Xie...

I have an urgent matter

to discuss with His Majesty.

You may withdraw.

You're dismissed.

Uncle,

what is it that you wish to tell me?

The dispatch riders reported

that the Northern Desert had returned.

They raided at midnight and our frontier troops fell.

They have routed Yunzhong Prefecture

and are heading straight for the Capital.

Upon hearing the news, the Prince of Xiaonan Prefecture

assembled fifty thousand troops

and is now eight hundred li away from the Capital.

Yu,

do not be afraid.

The news

may not necessarily be true.

It might just be a ploy to create panic,

making it convenient for the Prince

to lead his troops into the Capital

under the pretext of defending the city.

Are they

planning to rebel?

From the very moment

the Prince left the Capital,

he has always harbored treasonous intent.

This matter is of grave importance,

which is why I came in the dead of night.

We must first agree on how to respond

during tomorrow's court session.

An urgent dispatch has arrived.

The Northern Desert has returned.

Their cavalry has broken through Bailang Pass,

and Yunzhong will fall within three days.

The enemy is pressing toward the Capital.

With Chu Ling dead,

the frontier is indeed...

The Grand Princess is a woman after all,

so how could we truly expect her to defend the frontier?

Xiao Xun, heir to the Lord of Xiaonan,

has led fifty thousand troops

to defend the Capital

and is only a few days' journey away.

I petition Your Majesty

to open the city gates

and let them in to defend the Capital

to ensure its peace.

The Prince of Xiaonan commands fifty thousand troops,

the Capital another fifty thousand,

and with forces from other prefectures combined,

we have more than enough to hold

against the Northern Desert troops.

There is

indeed less reason to panic.

Ignorant.

A prince

granted a fiefdom

may collect its taxes and live off its revenues,

but holds no authority over troops.

Even their guard

is capped at a fixed number.

Where did he find fifty thousand troops?

In my view,

the Prince of Xiaonan Prefecture

uses the defense of the Capital as a pretext

to mask his rebellion.

Mr. Xie, do you imply

that His Majesty should just sit and wait

for the enemy to besiege the Capital?

Fifty thousand troops

are the entire strength of the Capital's garrison.

Allowing these troops

to enter the city?

Do you understand the consequences

if things spin out of control?

The Prince of Xiaonan Prefecture neither offered his condolences

nor paid his respects at court.

His intentions could not be clearer.

Now that Chu Ling is dead,

the threat from the Northern Desert is greater than ever.

I fear the Prince

wants to take advantage

of the chaos.

Just as Mr. Xie said,

the threat from the Northern Desert is so massive

that we cannot afford to gamble at all.

If we are paranoid at this moment,

and the Northern Desert truly breaks through Yunzhong,

the Capital will fall,

the state will no longer be a state,

and we will be condemned for eternity.

Your entire premise

rests on the authenticity of that military report.

However, as I see it,

the credibility of this military report

is still open to question.

You took

the frontier troops' victory reports

at face value

and rewarded Yunzhong Prefecture.

So

dispatch riders bearing good news are trustworthy,

but those bringing ill tidings are suddenly spies?

What should we do then?

Mr. Deng.

I shall issue a decree

ordering the Prince of Xiaonan Prefecture's troops

to be divided and stationed

alongside the Capital's garrison to defend the city.

Your Majesty,

this is indeed an effective stalling tactic.

Since the Prince and his heir

use the pretext of defending the Capital,

Your Majesty can let them

do so,

but they must follow the deployments of the imperial court.

If they refuse to comply,

they will be treated as treacherous rebels

whom anyone has the right to execute.

When the state is in turmoil,

trouble will come

from all sides.

The Northern Desert King

and the Prince of Xiaonan Prefecture are no different.

I have faced death

and weathered upheaval.

I believe

the State of Chu

will endure.

- We shall give our last breath - We shall give our last breath

- in service - in service

- to Your Majesty - to Your Majesty

- and the State of Chu. - and the State of Chu.

You may withdraw.

Mr. Xie, Mr. Deng,

what is it that you wish to tell me?

Your Majesty.

The Prince of Xiaonan Prefecture leads

not fifty thousand troops

but one hundred thousand.

They are now less

than eight hundred li

from the Capital.

A military march to defend the Capital?

No. This is treason.

Mr. Xie, watch your words.

We do not know if the news is true or false,

so we must not make rash judgments.

Have you notified Zhao?

I fear the news might be blocked

from reaching Her Highness.

You keep claiming

that the Prince of Xiaonan and Xiao Xun are rebelling,

yet you cannot produce any concrete evidence.

With the enemy closing in,

the defense of the Capital is our top priority.

So

you still wish to open the gates

and let the Xiaonan Army in?

I am doing this

for the safety of the Capital.

If the Northern Desert launches an attack,

how are the citizens of the Capital supposed

to protect themselves?

Speculation is useless.

We might as well wait and see

what Xiao Xun decides.

I shall take my leave.

This is the token of the Imperial Guard Commander.

After Uncle Yanlai left the Capital,

the command of the Imperial Guard was handed to his deputy.

The token

has been kept with me.

Since the situation is critical,

I will leave it in your safekeeping.

Very well.

I will ensure

your safety.

His Majesty handed the token of the Imperial Guard Commander over

to Xie Yanfang.

So the Prince of Xiaonan Prefecture actually did

him a favor?

It was bound to happen sooner or later.

Even without the Prince,

Mr. Xie would achieve his wish very soon.

His Majesty is helpless.

Why would he ever grow distant

from his uncle?

A child's face and heart

are the most fickle things

in the world.

I warned him.

No matter.

Whoever His Majesty chooses to favor

is no concern

of mine.

Dispatch the edict to the Prince of Xiaonan Prefecture

at once.

Select a suitable envoy to deliver it,

and make sure it is done with great fanfare.

Understood.

Mr. Xie,

a scout reports that the vanguard

of the Prince of Xiaonan Prefecture has arrived at Baili Pavilion.

Xiao Xun used fake dispatch riders to spread the news,

executing a real palace coup

under the pretext of defending the Capital.

The public has been taken in by him

and truly believes he came

to protect His Majesty.

They can't wait to throw wide the city gates

and welcome him with open arms.

Deng Yi

has clearly been won over by Xiao Xun

and is willing to do his bidding.

Public opinion is like the wind.

Fight it and you suffer.

Ride it and you prevail.

He can take the Capital

without spilling a drop of blood.

What should we do?

I have informed Yu

about the movements of the Xiaonan Army

and coached him on what to say

and how to draft the imperial edict.

It was all

to fan the flames

and let the coming battle play out

before the world.

The Xie Family

will be the greatest beneficiary

of this confrontation.

Deng Yi had the way cleared with drums.

The imperial envoy is heading toward the Xiaonan Army Camp,

the imperial banner held high.

[Xiaonan Army Camp]

Any who neglect their duty

shall face the full severity of the military law.

But those who stand resolute,

who defend this city with valor,

shall be richly rewarded.

So long as this city stands secure,

the state shall endure.

Your Highness,

please receive the imperial edict.

Your Highness,

this is written

by His Majesty's own hand.

I know.

You...

How insolent!

Xiao Xun,

are you and your father truly going

to defy the imperial command

and commit treason?

Imperial command?

Treason?

The edict states

that fifty thousand troops

stand arrayed outside the city.

Aren't they just waiting for me

to defy the command?

It is the perfect pretext

to have me branded a rebel

and start a w*r.

When

blades are drawn

and the cavalry cuts through,

the dead will be beyond count

and the land strewn with the starving.

All of it will become

the fault of Xiaonan Prefecture.

And with the false charge

of treason

you have already pinned on me,

the crimes only pile higher.

And I would be guilty

beyond all redemption.

I accept the edict

and will heed His Majesty's command

to protect the Capital.

But sir,

casting an imperial edict into the fire

is an unpardonable offense against His Majesty.

How dare you!

Go.

Make sure he is "taken care of".

Xiao Xun,

you're persecuting a loyal minister!

You will meet a miserable end!

Xiao Xun,

how dare you burn the imperial decree?

Hear my command.

Break camp tomorrow.

Split our forces into four routes

and advance on the Capital!

- Understood! - Understood!

[The Capital]

♪Broken walls and withered branches, trapped in the mire♪

♪Yet still striving to reach for the sky♪

♪My pride is torn down and my body is sacrificed♪

♪The spark smolders in the crack♪

♪And roars in the blaze♪

♪Burning the cold night until daybreak♪

♪Fate imprisons me♪

♪But I won't beg the abyss for mercy♪

♪Even if hope is faint, I remain proud♪

♪A mayfly will cross the ocean, however long it takes♪

♪However it ends up, I'll go my own way♪

♪With no fear of the distance♪

♪Born from decay, fireflies still burn♪

♪With sword in hand, I'll pierce the dawn♪

♪Let these scars all over me become♪

♪My new pride♪

♪Peril is everywhere in the palace♪

♪Yet I smile to nobody but you♪

♪Amidst the chaos♪

♪I'll always be with you♪

♪The spark smolders in the crack♪

♪And roars in the blaze♪

♪Burning the cold night until daybreak♪

♪Fate imprisons me♪

♪But I won't beg the abyss for mercy♪

♪Even if hope is faint, I remain proud♪

♪A mayfly will cross the ocean, however long it takes♪

♪However it ends up, I'll go my own way♪

♪With no fear of the distance♪

♪Born from decay, fireflies still burn♪

♪With sword in hand, I'll pierce the dawn♪

♪Let these scars all over me become♪

♪My new pride♪