Shun!
Why?
Shun...
Are you all right?
It is good that we have reunited.
Where is Inui-san?
I...
Shun...
Where is Satoru?
He is in a cave nearby.
He was injured, so I left alone to find you and Inui-san.
Injured?
It is nothing grave.
How did he get injured?
When the Fiend was pursuing us, a piece of rock hit him from above.
There are far fewer bats now.
Let us hurry.
UTW
Presents
ＳＨＩＮＳＥＫＡＩ
ＹＯＲＩ
UTW
Presents
ＳＨＩＮＳＥＫＡＩ
ＹＯＲＩ
Episode Twenty-Four
The Bonfires in the Darkness
Saki!
I'm so glad you're okay.
I was worried.
Where's Inui-san?
He died.
A giant ragworm attacked him.
He would have survived on his own.
But he tried to protect me...
We won't let his sacrifice be in vain, Saki.
I found it.
It wouldn't have been possible without Inui-san.
You found it? Do you mean...
Here, look.
Careful.
We're doomed if it breaks.
I think it's enough if we smash it open in his path when the time comes.
Okay.
No. You're injured.
I'll carry it.
I'm not injured so badly that I can't smash this open.
But I can do the job too.
Let's take turns, then.
I'll go first.
Lingering too long is dangerous.
Let us move out.
What do we do now?
With the retrieval of the Psychobuster, we have fulfilled our main objective.
Withdrawing for the time being seems sound to me.
On the other hand, this might be an incredibly rare opportunity.
The focal point of our strategies, the Fiend, has only a weak escort and is close to our position.
There is another advantage to this.
The enemy believes they are hunting us,
but in their dazed pursuit they will not realize until the end that they have become the hunted.
Additionally, they do not know that we have obtained the Psychobuster.
Should we really pass up this chance?
The stink is terrible.
It is bat guano.
They pursue your scent like madmen, but for some reason I do not seem to evoke much fascination.
Why?
I guess they are not very interested in me to begin with.
Perhaps they believe that I would not be much of a threat, even if left to my own devices.
Kiroumaru dealt them a serious blow.
Maybe they want to keep their distance.
He took out seven of them.
That many?
This is not good.
It has begun to rain.
Let us make haste.
We can only wager it all on one push now.
This tunnel goes on for a kilometer before reaching the surface.
It helps greatly that there are hardly any junctions for the length of the tunnel.
Why does that help?
It means we can only escape in one direction.
The enemy can only come from one direction as well.
We can easily keep them at a distance.
There are many curves and bends along the tunnel,
so you will not be in view of the Fiend until he has caught up with you.
The tunnel branches numerous times, but if we follow the main path, we should not get lost.
Is this really such a smart idea?
There is no better place for our purposes.
The main advantage is the breeze here.
The Fiend is downwind if he comes after us, huh?
You're right.
This is a bad omen.
The rain is heavier than I had expected.
My original plan was sound, but it has become quite unreliable.
Well then. I shall lead them in.
I pray for your safety.
The footing here is better than expected.
You okay? Remember the way back?
I only get lost when there are junctions.
There's only one way to go here.
Shouldn't I carry that?
Your arms are injured.
This is no big deal.
Besides, I'm good at throwing things.
But...
We'd be in big trouble if you stumbled and crushed this.
Will it all work out?
We're trying to kill a human being.
Stop it.
Don't think about it.
We're only going to smash this open in his path.
The Fiend won't die immediately either.
Sorry.
I shouldn't have said that.
Don't worry.
We just have to fulfill our mission.
Let's ignore everything else.
Okay.
But is Maria's and Mamoru's child really a Fiend?
That again?
You know how many villagers he's slaughtered!
How can he not be a Fiend?
I know, I saw it too.
We can think about it all once we've stopped him.
I just can't shake off the feeling...
Cut it out!
Why do you keep saying things that make it so complicated?!
Sorry! But listen!
I can't help but feel that maybe he just doesn't know that he's human!
So?
We have to stop him anyway!
Everyone in the villages is going to die if we don't!
I know that! I know!
But it's Maria's child!
Shouldn't we at least give him a chance?
A chance? Are you out of your mind?
What if there's a way to let him know he's human?
This—
The hunt...
It has begun.
That's Kiroumaru!
What do you mean?
The rain will wash away our scent trail.
We need to goad them into attacking us before they can consider the situation.
We need a better bait...
No, a more obvious bait for that.
Hold on.
What do you mean?
You two will have to show yourselves to the enemy, even if it is only for a moment.
If you promptly escape into a tunnel, the Fiend should lose his composure and pursue you.
Are you crazy?
You're telling us to play Tag with the Fiend?
We're done for if we get in his line of sight.
Impossible. We can't possibly do that.
Impossible? What do you mean?
But... We...
How many do you think have been sacrificed to get you this far?
They all died so you could have this one moment,
this one chance to defeat the Fiend.
Did they not trust you enough that they were willing to pay the ultimate price?
Yes, you're right.
We came here, ready to lay down our lives, with one goal in mind.
I cannot force you.
On the contrary, I would be no more than a worm crushed by your wrath should I invoke your ire.
The decision is yours to make.
They're coming!
Saki. Saki!
It's okay.
They seem to be moving slowly.
This is strange.
Shun?
This is strange. Don't you agree?
Strange? What's strange?
Can't you hear it?
Watch out! It's a trap!
Why?
Don't you see?
You aren't being chased by the Fiend.
Saki...
Satoru, this is a trap.
What are you talking about?
The Fiend isn't coming after us.
Any idea why?
Hell if I know!
We need to get going or they'll catch up!
Let's go back.
Go back where?
The direction we came from.
But the Fiend's there!
No, he isn't.
Don't you get it?
This was a trap.
Yakomaru predicted which way we'd run and made the tunnel collapse.
Is Kiroumaru in on it too?
I don't know.
Either way, it's suicide to keep on going.
The enemy's lying in ambush.
We've been played!
Let's run.
What's wrong?
I'll try what you suggested!
If he realizes what he is...
That boy was raised by the queerats,
so he thinks he's a queerat himself.
What do you think will happen when he looks into a mirror?
A mirror?
Queerats don't have mirrors, from what I've seen.
He thinks he's a queerat, but what if he realizes he looks like his human enemies?
Look closely.
You're human.
You're Maria and Mamoru's child.
Watch out! Run!
Satoru!
Saki, run!
I'll end it here.
No! Stop!
Take this!
This would put an end to it all.
Our mission would finally be over.
No matter what became of us,
the Fiend would go down.
Kamisu's 66th district would be saved, and peace and order would be restored.
No.
At this distance, the Psychobuster will infect both Satoru and the Fiend.
One by one, I've lost my loved ones.
My sister. Shun.
Then Maria and Mamoru.
If I lose Satoru as well, I'll be all alone.
I'll be the only one left from Group One.
Is this truly the will of the gods?
No!
Run!
Saki...
Just hurry up!
Kiroumaru?
That way!
He still has not come after us.
They might be treating his burns first.
Where are we going now?
I do not know.
Let us put some distance between ourselves and the Fiend for now.
I'm sorry.
It's my fault that the Psychobuster went to waste.
There is no time to lament that.
Concentrate on the path ahead.
Yakomaru's soldiers might be lying in ambush.
I smell the Fiend.
They have finally caught up to us.
It seems they know that we are here.
We're finished.
We're pinned down and we've lost our trump card, the Psychobuster.
This is the end.
It might be too early to give up.
You've got an idea?
No. I do not believe there is a way out.
However, Yakomaru appears to have no immediate solution for this either.
We still have our last resort.
If you can accept being buried alive along with the enemy,
you can collapse the cave using your Cantus.
Is that Yakomaru's fear? Is that why he's not attacking us?
He might be having trouble coming up with his final move.
Let us negotiate.
I am the supreme commander of the Robber Fly colony, Yakomaru.
Shall we try to avoid more unnecessary bloodshed?
What a load of crap.
Please answer me.
Humans and queerats might be different races, but we are of similar intelligence.
Our interests may differ, but surely negotiations can overcome them.
Engaging in dialogue would be the first step.
Don't answer him.
They wish to use our voices to locate us.
I'm sorry, Satoru.
I was a fool.
I was afraid you'd be infected too...
It's okay. I understand.
I ruined our chance to deal with the Fiend.
I'm going to die regretting it.
In our society, there is a saying that goes,
"complain to the grave worms when you are lying next to them."
You are too fond of giving up.
Our kind seeks to find a way to turn the tables until our dying moments.
Though those efforts may be in vain, we lose nothing by trying.
There's something I've wanted to ask you.
Go on.
Why did you come to Tokyo all this time ago?
I suppose I can tell you now.
We came to find weapons of mass destruction left behind by the ancient civilization.
With them we could have replaced humans as the dominant species on the planet.
I thought we were allies.
What are allies?
We swore loyalty to mankind and served you.
That was the only way to ensure our survival.
But we had no way of telling when the winds of fortune would change.
A number of colonies have been wiped out for entirely obscure reasons.
You wanted to destroy mankind?
We might have tried if there was a reasonable hope of success.
But we could not find anything here.
We were not trying to oppose mankind out of mere whim,
nor were we driven by a lust for conquest.
All we wished for was the survival and prosperity of our colony.
Interesting.
Kiroumaru may be the key to resolving this situation.
That's not a Fiend. And if that's the case...
You understand, don't you?
I showed myself to you, up on the surface.
What happened to it?
What's wrong, Saki?
I think—
He is coming.
The Fiend is coming.
He is two or three meters away.
He has passed by.
He must have joined Yakomaru and the others.
What's going on? Why didn't he attack?
They might be afraid we might launch a suicide attack against Yakomaru.
If either of you survived long enough, you could kill them all.
However, now that they have reunited, we can retreat that way.
It might be an attempt to force our hand.
We should escape even if it's a trap.
There won't be another chance.
Wait. That's not a Fiend.
Saki?
We were so ignorant.
There were countless chances, yet we simply folded our arms let them all slip away.
What do you mean?
We might still have a chance.
It's harder than ever, but...
Well... We can still turn it all around.
Saki?
Please, try to make some sense.
We can do it.
We can defeat him.
Nani mo iranai
何もいらない
I need nothing else
Anata ga ireba ii
あなたがいればいい
When you are by my side
Sotto yokogao iki wo korosu
そっと横顔 息を殺す
I look at you in profile and hold my breath
Mabataki sureba kieteshimaisou de
まばたきすれば消えてしまいそうで
I'm afraid it might vanish like an illusion if I blink now
Mitsumesasete suki da yo
凝視めさせて好きだよ
Let me look at you, I love you
Ah kigi ga furue furidashita yuki
ああ 木々が震え 降り出した雪
The trees shake in the wind and snow gathers on the ground
Ashiato futatsu shiroku
足跡 ふたつ 白く
Two lines of white footprints show
Toki yo tsumore
時よ 積もれ
Snowflakes of time, gather
Kami ni mune ni futari dake no yume ni
髪に 胸に ふたりだけの夢に
In our hair, our hearts, our dream
Sakenai hana no
咲けない花の
This flower cannot bloom
Tane wa yuki ni dakare
種は雪に抱かれ
And the snow embraces its seeds
Yorisou no
寄り添うの
As they huddle together
Shizuka ni wasureraretai
静かに忘れられたい
Quietly they wish to be able to forget
FROM THE NEW WORLD