Juni Taisen: Zodiac War (十二大戦)

I hear you out there, old man.

Quit peepin' and show yourself already.

What's wrong?

Little old to be playin' hide-and-seek, ain't ya, old man?

But if you wanna change your stripes, I'll play with you.

That was...

a little joke, by the way. Tigers and stripes. Get it?

Juni Taisen

Episode 6: Even a Champion Racehorse May Stumble

If you insist, perhaps I will play.

I'd hoped to avoid direct conflict until the end...

The girl herself means little,

but that Juseki inside her would have some value in a negotiation.

You coulda just done that from the start...

Goodness.

It's clear that a warrior was hiding out there.

Most likely, that most seasoned of veterans...

The Warrior of the Sheep, was it?

If he sensed my arrival and hastily set those traps,

he can't have gone far.

That stance is preposterous.

What was that, old man? You say somethin' about a tortoise?

I don't remember hearin' about no Warrior of the Tortoise in the Juni Taisen.

But it figures, since there's a Rabbit and all...

I was complimenting your stance, which is truly unbelievable.

By which I mean that

I can't believe you've managed to survive while using it.

Aw, shucks!

Flattery won't get you nowhere, y'know.

I just ain't the kinda person who can hold back and kill gently.

They say a wise hawk hides its talons,

but it seems this tiger lacks such wisdom.

I was surprised when she sensed me in hiding,

but I can safely stand by my estimation that she's the weakest of the warriors.

Wow, you can do that ninja clone thingy? That's way cool, old man.

How'd you make two more of yourself?

If I go back outside...

Even if I could take out the other warriors,

I'd still die, without question.

It's no use. I have to stay here.

Well, I can't afford to lose much more time.

I doubt that the fake trail I left will fool Ox for long.

Huh?

Old man, when did you make four more of you?

Is this s'posed to be a counting sheep thing?

You better not be tryin' to put me to sleep.

I'd hoped that being back in the field would get my blood flowing again,

but this will be wholly unsatisfying.

I suppose the reason the Warrior of the Snake moved first was to divide our forces.

He's moving us like chess pieces...

No, not like chess. More like Othello.

A cold, calculating way of planning,

with no thought given to individuality.

That was aimed at my stomach.

Does he see his opponents as mere vessels for the Juseki?

What a dangerous mentality...

But as far as fighting goes, he still has much to learn.

Well, I guess a necromantist wouldn't need to practice swordplay.

I won't let him escape.

It's not just the way he wields his blades.

The way he moves his legs, the way he uses his body...

He clearly isn't a martial artist.

If I get behind him, I can lock him down easily.

Render him powerless, and negotiate again.

He won't have time to turn around.

What?

H-How did he suddenly use the technique of a master?

Is that...

Snake's head?

Isn't it nice to have people to watch your back?

It's the best, isn't it? Isn't it just the best?

That's right.

It was a headless corpse that ran off with Nezumi-kun.

Hey, it's okay. Don't worry.

All I'm taking is your life.

In exchange, I hope you'll be my friend, too.

I've wanted that so badly since the first moment I saw you...

Why don't we introduce ourselves after you've sobered up a bit?

Shaddup! I ain't drunk!

Not drunk! Not drunk!

Just a teeny bit drunk!

See, I can drink a whole boatload of booze and still not get that drunk.

Just looking at this red-faced warrior is unpleasant.

I should just finish her off right away.

I think, perhaps, I will.

Hitsujii: Warrior of the Sheep, killing deceptively!

Killing Deceptively

Sheep

Tora: Warrior of the Tiger, killin' in a drunken rage.

Killin' in a Drunken Rage

Tiger

Tora

Hitsujii

In a drunken rage?

Wh-What?

But...

She was clearly no more than a drunkard, through and through...

A drunkard...

Yep! The famous "Drunken Fist"!

Though, you look more like the typical Drunken Fist type than I do.

Personally, I get way more drunk on human blood than booze.

And you barely have enough to get me tipsy.

Of the twelve warriors, we are now down to six.

It is time to begin the betting!

I believe the abilities these warriors possess are now fairly clear.

These are the predicted rankings of the remaining six.

Tiger Horse Dragon Rat

The top two are Ox and Rabbit, then...

Ox Rabbit Tiger Horse

I see Tiger received quite a boost for killing Sheep.

By contrast, it seems inevitable that

the lowest-ranked warriors would be Dragon, who lost his brother and partner,

and Rat, who has yet to accomplish anything.

Rat

Boar Ox

Dog Tiger

Chicken Rabbit

Monkey Dragon

Sheep Snake

Horse

Rat

Boar Ox

Dog Tiger

Chicken Rabbit

Monkey Dragon

Sheep Snake

Horse

Ox

That leaves the Warrior of the Horse in fourth,