Those who ceaselessly hone their killing arts are known as "Masters."
After many generations, they have gained lethal abilities
called "Modified Bloodlines."
This is the story of one such Master, the Poison Master, Hikaru Gero,
and his attempts to get married.
The Bug Master, Toshiki Hanamaki.
He's a longtime colleague, as well as my friend.
W-Wow. So it's this guy's wedding, huh?
He's just what I picture when I hear "Master."
W-Well, have fun.
Hey, Kinosaki.
There's a butterfly for you, too.
"Dear Mei Kinosaki,"
"How do you do? I hope you aren't sweltering in this early summer heat."
"Mr. Gero has informed me of your arrangement."
"I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to help him find a partner."
"Nothing would please me more than you accompanying him to my humble wedding."
"Please allow me to express my gratitude in person."
"Yours truly, Toshiki Hanamaki, Bug Master."
How's he such a great guy?
This is a first for me, so I don't have the right clothes.
Still, I want to get things right for his wedding, you know?
That's the spirit.
And there's always a chance you'll meet someone new at a wedding.
I think I'll pick up a new outfit, too.
Your treat, okay?
And here we are at the Bug Master's wedding.
It's ten times more "fairy tale" than I was expecting.
Gero!
Gero, you—
You came back to life?!
You're wicked worn out, boss man.
Been leanin' too hard on your Modified Bloodline.
That was a pick-me-up, but it's only so effective.
Uh...
Kinosaki, let me introduce you. This guy...
is Tsunagi, the Needle Master. Like the Bug Master, he's a friend of mine.
Always happy to help.
Hey, boys. We've got money to burn.
Who's up for Undeadsney Land this weekend?
Will we get to meet Undeadsney, Pa?
You bet.
And the optimal route for the attractions?
You can plan it.
He's a good dad.
He has three boys.
Oh, so you're the boss man's marriage advisor, huh?
Must be rough. I feel for you.
You can tell?
Honored guests,
we cannot thank you enough for taking the time to join us today.
We will now celebrate the union between Toshiki Hanamaki and Anna Kawakita.
If the sun... is ever going to rise on the criminal underworld,
the organ trafficking networks... and the drug cartels...
must link hands in unity.
I aspire to end... the criminal underworld's long period of forced isolation...
I'm glad to see you.
I only came to warn you in person.
Listen up. You can try to curry favor with me all you like,
but it won't get Grandma to treat your clan any better than—
Oh, sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.
I just wanted to have a drink together.
With you, Hikaru Gero.
Won't you join me?
You're underage, so it's not alcoholic.
Gero, did you hear that?
Huh? What?
How they met.
The bride, Anna, got into trouble while mountain-climbing, and...
That's so like him.
Kinosaki.
Do you think I can pull off a marriage this perfect?
Of course. You've got me in your corner.
Congratulations, Toshiki.
You've got plenty of happiness and plenty of love. Don't you, Bug Master?
How is that fair?
They met in the mountains and now spend their days camping.
They hike, of course, but they also enjoy chatting around a campfire.
I'll take another chateaubriand!
And at night, beneath a starry sky, they make their own secret constellations.
Wait, Gero!
You're supposed to give a speech after this!
Kinosaki, take over for me.
They say they'd like to leave Japan and try camping abroad, too.
Huh? What's with the spider?
You said it, Julia Jr.
You're his partners. You want to keep his wedding unmarred even more than I do.
I mean, this is the best day of Toshiki's life. Right?
In exactly five minutes, all of you rush your assigned entrances,
and kill whoever you want. The more corpses, the bigger your bonus.
You can leave when the Bug Master and his Master friends start fighting back.
While they're distracted, I'll stick a "firework" on the bride.
I bet she'll make a real pretty color when she goes off.
One he'll never be able to forget, even if he wants to.
Guess that's what I get for hiring mercs on the Dark Nav.
Well, in that case...
Change of plans.
Firestorm Labyrinth
Firestorm Labyrinth!
Aw, what a waste.
I set those to give the fleeing guests a real-life escape game.
Aw, man. Well, it's his own fault for getting in my way.
All that matters right now is paying back the Bug Master,
the man who stole the only spark of passion in my life.
Yeah. Back then, nothing mattered to me.
School, jobs, marriage. It all made me go, "So what?"
Amount: 50,000,000
Borrower
Name:
Hiroshi Takanashi
Masahide Yamada
Name:
Joint \hSurety
Even when I ended up buried in debt,
I just went, "Yeah, so?"
And when my "payment" meant someone calling himself the Puppet Master
"customizing" me into a hitman for some gang,
I just went, "Oh, yeah?"
Yamada.
I've planted miniature bombs in your wrists, ankles, and head.
Press the switch in your back tooth at the moment of impact,
and your enemy will explode along with your own flesh and bone.
Explosion Roulette
An Explosion Roulette.
Trash exists only to die with grace.
If worse came to worst, I could just take my opponent down with me.
The Explosion Roulette sparked my passion for the first time ever.
Until I met him.
I've got him!
If I set off my ace in the hole, the bomb in my head,
I can trade my life for...
I disarmed it.
You don't need to live in fear of death anymore.
And that's how he took my passion from me, just so he could feel good about himself!
So don't I have the right to break something that means a lot to him?
I got new limbs as an advance from the Puppet Master,
made out like a bandit doing dirty jobs, and waited for this day to come.
Anyone who gets in my way is—
Oh, hey. He's already dead.
Yeah, go with that, Kinosaki.
I need you to fill in for me.
Sushi? Sure thing.
Did you say something?
Oh well. I don't know what your deal is,
but nobody nice holds a grudge against the Bug Master.
We don't need your lame sideshow.
Now, let's hear from a friend of the groom.
I'm gonna make Gero treat me to sushi that costs hundreds of thousands of yen.
The Bug Master's Wedding
It's really pouring now, huh?
So much for the gorgeous view of the sunset.
Now, a word from a friend of the groom, Mr. Toshiki Hanamaki: Mr. Hikaru Gero.
Or not?
Stage fright gave Gero an upset stomach.
He left a letter for me to read in his place.
My name is Mei Kinosaki.
Hey, buddy. You're a Master, right?
Explosion Roulette: Prosthetic Edition
Don't you think you'd better stop holding back
with your Modified Bloodline?
I wouldn't waste it on you.
"Toshiki, Anna..."
"Congratulations on your marriage."
"That's not something I ever thought I'd say. I still can't believe it."
"Toshiki."
"I'm looking for a bride myself right now,
and it's hard as hell."
"The old me would have snapped, 'Not a chance! You're wasting your time!'"
"But here I am, hoping to meet the one for me. And that..."
"That's because of you, Toshiki."
"Toshiki..."
"Tell me. Back when I was like a prickly ghost,
why did you decide to care about me?"
"On behalf of past me, I'd like to thank you."
"If it wasn't for you..."
"I'm sure I'd still be..."
Nice aim, you—
"You don't let anything stop you from reaching out to someone who's suffering."
"That's what makes you my best friend, and the coolest guy I know."
I don't want to make this special day a bloody one.
So leave.
Seems you're having trouble, Yamada.
I stand by my products.
I'll release your limiters.
You'll blow them all away with a blast wave that hits like a typhoon.
Just you wait, Bug Master!
Damn it.
How's that fair?
You hang out in a way deeper, darker underworld than a hitman like me.
So how can you hug an enemy so gently?
Yamada, you're going the wrong—
Don't tell me you're...
Shit. Shit! Damn it all!
Have a farewell present from me!
"Finally, to Anna. It goes without saying, but the moment you found Toshiki...
your happy ending was guaranteed."
It ends there.
Thank you for listening.
I'd like you all to take a look out the window.
Toshiki.
Congratulations.
Kinosaki, thank you.
For the speech, and for helping Gero.
Oh, it's no big deal.
Anyway, don't you think you're a little too nice to him?
You've been looking out for Gero since he was all rough around the edges.
Well, to tell you the truth, I should be the one thanking him.
With the power dynamic between our families,
him calling me his friend and coming to my wedding
is more than I have a right to hope for.
What power dynamics? Aren't you a Master, just like Gero?
The Hanamaki family of Bug Masters started with venomous insects.
The Tsunagi family of Needle Masters started with poisoned needles.
There are plenty of other Masters, like the disease guys,
but our branch families all descend from the Poison Clan.
So our hierarchy is set in stone,
with the Five Great Families at the top.
The Gero family.
The Arima family.
The Dogo family.
The Kirishima family.
The Nasuka family.
The whole society of Masters is made up of their branches and offshoots.
Occasionally, you do get an unaffiliated family,
but those of the branch families and below would end their lives without complaint,
if their Great Family ordered it.
That's how big the difference is.
Listen, Toshiki.
We live only on the sufferance of the Gero family.
Centuries of toying with lives
has made monsters of the heads of the Five Great Families.
Don't assume they share our values.
They see the lives of enemies and allies as mere pawns to enrich their clans.
Unless you want our line to end, just be silent and obey.
Oh, it's quite all right. Raise your heads.
This is Master Hikaru. He was tentatively named heir the other day.
When I first met Gero, rather than fearing him, what struck me
was how he seemed, well...
We lowly worms owe our very lives to the Gero family's generosity.
Well, let's leave it at that.
Y-Yes, sir.
Master Hikaru!
Please use and discard his life as you would a lowly insect's.
I beg of you.
He's not a bug, though.
He seemed like...
it wasn't his fault people trembled in fear of him.
He was really just a guy.
A regular, stand-up guy.
When I told my father we were drinking buddies,
he passed out foaming at the mouth.
Ms. Kinosaki.
I'm sure it'll be a hundred times more hassle than for me or the Needle Clan,
but please make him ridiculously happy.
Oh, it's tough, all right.
He tends to freak out in front of girls, for one thing.
Well, you know how it is.
But I know he's a good guy as well as you do.
I promise I'll find her. Gero's partner for life.
Kinosaki's been bonding with my colleagues while I wasn't looking.
What are they up to?
Call me if you're gonna go fight.
You have kids to take care of.
Toshiki.
Have a hundred million blessings.
Be happy!
Y-Yeah.
He had a blade on a long pole, and he was really good at waving it around.
Uh-huh. Only...
Apart from that, he was kind of, um, normal?
Great work.
Poison Master
Hikaru Gero
Spear Master
Nagahiko Kushima
Okay, I'll send you the next list of Masters now.
Good luck wiping out those hitmen.
Poison Master
Hikaru Gero
Translator: William Varteresian Timer: Andy Ellis Editor: SMR Quality Control: Salem Alabanza Final Quality Control: Michelle Tymon
I'll let you protect me!
10,000 yen a day.
Ham!
Come on. Let's go.
Beat him to the punch!
You've gotta be over the moon.
Please die.
Next time: "The Hitman Hunter."
The Hitman Hunter