Hell's Paradise (地獄楽)

Master, will you keep teaching—no, I mean...

Master, I humbly request that you continue teaching me to use a sword.

Of course.

Now that this guy's here, we'll be okay.

After all, I owe Shion-san my life, and he taught me to use a sword.

Ow!

Not even these circumstances can stop you from acting like my teacher.

I'm actually kind of relieved.

You underestimate me.

I told you, I'm used to that.

Tenza!

The one who takes cannot understand.

But their victim never forgets.

Hell's Paradise

A faint flower was blooming unnoticed by anyone

Not a burning red, but flickering serenely in red

I've been pausing for a long time dragging my past at my feet

If I break free from this ambivalence,

will I be able to bloom by its side?

The future is slipping away between my fingers

What mistake did I make to pay this price?

Always hurting myself

and hesitant even to a small joy

I want to stop now

The flower just bloomed in dignity

and that was all I needed to be happy

I just wanted to protect this one flower

Wishing to be strong, I

picked up the vulnerability I had once cast away

Can't break free from the ambivalence

In ambivalence, I become myself

Like rooting strongly into the soil

like swaying ephemerally to the wind

I'm slowly loosening myself to bloom

Hell's Paradise

Master and Student

He's exhausted their tao by continuously striking

the moment they start to regenerate.

The wounds aren't fatal, but their regeneration has slowed a lot,

and their appearance seems to be aging.

They shouldn't be able to do much now.

Inanimate objects can be controlled with the slightest amount of tao.

Die, human!

I'll take this opportunity to recover.

He's exhausted as well.

The repeated tao attacks are shortening his own life.

Sensei!

A childish trick. This is pointless.

Tameshi Itto-ryu: Autumn Rains.

He can't reach my tanden.

Clink?

You're on the brink of death, too.

What's wrong with you?

Stay away!

Sen—

What's wrong with you?

You'd shorten your own life for someone who died?

Why do all of this?

I haven't done anything yet.

I can't mourn him or feel sadness yet.

I can't even be angry while you're still alive.

I'll do it all once I've killed you.

The despair and sadness can wait until after that.

Now, how many more times do I have to cut you to kill you?

This is bad. Really, really bad.

I have to do something.

Somehow...

Don't panic.

Tao doesn't recover quickly.

Did you think you were close?

Don't underestimate me, human.

One of my kind was always both male and female,

circulating their energies by themselves to train.

I copied that.

It's hard to maintain both sexes at once, but I have no choice now.

Besides...

I knew it. I thought that was the case.

If I can change part of myself,

I must be able to do the same with my transformation.

Now, how many hundreds more times shall we continue?

I swear I'll settle this.

I'm used to your little stunts now.

Stunts.

Call them what you want.

This is who I am.

I was scarred by my mother, a traveling entertainer.

See the Blade Master's Son

Our act was a blind child dodging customer's strikes with a wooden sword.

"Behold the blade master's son who predicts attacks without seeing."

Both my mother and I were desperate to survive.

The scars were part of the act, but I was born blind.

As one who'd perceived the world through waves of tao, it was a simple act.

A high-ranking kengyo heard about me

and welcomed me into the Todoza guild for the blind.

Through them, I knocked on the Yamada clan's doors.

For a couple of poor entertainers, it was a golden opportunity.

Your child's skill with a sword makes it hard to believe he's blind.

Where did he get those scars?

This boy's father is famed for his skill with a blade.

Blessed with talent, he was wounded in battle at a young age.

Every time we were asked, my mother told the same lie.

So did I.

Unable to retract that explanation and ruin my mother's name,

I spent my days as a Yamada student hiding my past.

I was ashamed.

It's not like the past matters.

What's important is, you know, the present.

That's not what I meant.

I warned you to act like a Yamada student.

I am, and I wish you'd look at me, not my upbringing.

Tenza-kun and Shugen-san are fighting again.

It's amusing. Leave them be.

I envied Tenza's openness and fearlessness.

As I saw others accept him for who he was, I felt potential.

You're incredible with a sword, sir.

I look up to you.

No, I look up to you.

I will kill you with my own hands, even if it costs me my life!

I can use my Kishikai form while recovering.

You cannot win any—

Silence.

Both your appearance and flashy abilities are empty threats.

You're just focusing what little power you have left on putting on an act.

Soon, you'll have only as much tao as a human.

Your terrible acting can't fool me.

Neither of us can strike a killing blow, so we'll drag each other through the mud.

An ugly and deadly battle of endurance.

Are you ready?

Sensei!

Nurugai.

Stay back. I'll handle the rest.

What?

It's about to get dangerous.

Damn you!

With no ability to hinder them, I can only hope to exhaust them.

So how can I expend my own tao efficiently?

You don't have to cut them hundreds of times.

Wouldn't it be easier to skewer them with your sword?