EPISODE 7: RESTORATION OF RELICS
As I'm sure you know, this world is about to change.
As chairman of TKBM, I can guarantee you any form of support.
Work for me.
First you want to "work together," then it's "work for me"?
I know full well how evil you are.
Don't make me laugh.
Now, there's no need to get angry. I didn't mean anything by it.
We at TKBM have countless relics that you can use to your heart's content.
From battle relics to healing relics...
Healing relics I can use to my heart's content?
I still remember how you used the Tree of Life to make me your slave.
Don't underestimate me. I won't fall for that again.
Well, that was unexpected.
You really are skilled. I was right about you.
A relic's power?
Yes. Finding it a bit spooky?
The Body of Achilles Dipped in the River Styx.
Achilles was a warrior of Greek mythology.
When he was a child, his mother, Thetis,
dippde him in the River Styx to make him stronger.
But she held him by his heels, which kept them dry, so they became his weakness.
Ogawara must have a weakness, too.
I just can't figure out where it is.
Do you finally understand that you can't beat me?
Well? Do you need a little more time to think?
Time? Yeah, I do need time.
Time to slice that disgusting head of yours clean off.
Give it everything you've got, Muramasa!
What's the big idea, human?!
You've gone mad!
Stop!
Damn it. It's already at its limit?
Boss!
The relic's power activates on its own?
Hammurabi's Code!
This is getting dangerous. I need to finish this quickly.
Really?
The relic's power is still keeping him alive?
This is pissing me off.
Ogawara!
What? Is it completely destroyed?
Hammurabi's Code is damaged, as well.
The same should be true of his Achilles and King of Conquest relics.
Which means they're useless for now.
IRENE HOLTON CONNECTING...
Hello, Irene-san. It's me.
Could I ask you for a favor?
I need your help finding someone.
A Japanese man named Yanagi Kotaro.
What did you say?
Yanagi Kotaro is already dead.
You see, my brother is an avid art collector.
A few months ago, that man sold him a forgery.
He also introduced him to me back then.
I remember what a good first impression I had of him.
But the famous painting my brother bought from him
turned out to be a forgery.
Drive faster!
We have to keep up with him!
He and his friends chased after him, and that man's car
Step on it!
broke through the guardrail and fell off a cliff.
I didn't expect that...
Yanagi Kotaro is a restorer of relics.
Relics can be depleted or destroyed in various ways.
But there are restoration relics that can restore broken relics.
The people who use them are called relic restorers.
Yanagi was a member of my team. He was known as the King of Fraud.
I'm very sorry I couldn't be of more help.
Restoration relics are usually works of art,
and they require high affinity.
That's not something I can handle.
This is a big problem...
Wait a second.
He should be around 26 right now.
We don't meet each other until five years from now.
So how could he already be dead?
Irene-san, I have one more favor to ask.
SEKISUI UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
Things remain unsettled at the scene.
REPAIRS DELAYED IN ORDER TO AVOID CAUSING FURTHER DAMAGE
Scientists suspect that the phenomenon is connected to the strange tombs.
Will the mystery finally be solved?
Next in the news, regarding the relics and their shocking—
After all I did to keep their existence secret...
What, by making a big show of using them and even summoning a tomb?
That was an accident!
Who expects relics at an airport?!
You possess the relic of immortality.
How did a young thing like him do this much damage to you?
Goriki Ryoga, was it?
To think he could have managed this. Fascinating.
Oh, shut up!
At any rate, restoration is in order. I'll put you in touch with a restorer.
Get some rest in the meantime.
And don't let that Goriki Ryoga boy beat you half to death again.
Edward, old buddy! It's been a while!
Why, you answered your phone right away for once? I'm shocked.
Is our master restorer short on cash?
You know me far too well.
I had some bad luck, and things got dicey, so I gotta play dead for a while.
Some people are demanding outrageous sums to keep quiet, too.
I'm seriously starting to lose it.
So the talented fraudster is even faking his own death now?
Anyway, enough about that.
Since you called, you must have a job that'll make me some money.
Yes. Let's just say I've hooked the big fish you wanted.
About the art markets operated by people close to Yanagi...
There are more than 50 across the country.
Are you planning to visit all of them?
B-Boss, is this finally the last one?
I'm completely exhausted.
Enough whining. Just come with me.
Welcome!
Are you looking for a particular piece? A painting, or a sculpture, or...
We'd like to have some relics restored.
Relics... restored?
I'm terribly sorry, but we only deal in artwork here.
Shut it!
Don't bother lying! We know all about it! You wanna die, you—
Idiot! Do you want to ruin everything for us?!
You have to assert yourself early!
Shut up, you thug!
Thug?!
What else would you be?
I'm not just some dumb thug!
S-So many relics! Where did he get them?!
And they're all high-grade!
It looks like you know what those are.
Please.
These relics are extremely precious to me,
but they're all damaged.
I was told I could have them restored here.
Of course, I'll keep quiet. May I count on your help?
Well... if that's the case...
Would you mind waiting for a brief moment?
Bingo!
This woman was Yanagi's secretary. I'm sure she's contacting him now.
Only he could handle relics of this level.
I knew he was still alive!
God Grade?
They seemed pretty clueless. This will be child's play.
So what do you say?
We should show them all courtesy, then.
Sorry for the wait.
Normally, our services are reserved for members only,
but given the urgency, we'd be happy to make an exception.
Really? Thank you very much!
May I take the relics for a moment to check their condition?
Right now? Is Yanagi here?
Hmm. Let's wait and see.
Ah, of course. Please do.
Damn, this is wild! How many are there? Who owns all these?
What a sight.
Are you sure this will be okay?
It'll be fine. Stay at the front desk and watch them.
This'll be a piece of cake.
Yanagi was given the title King of Fraud for good reason.
Because he uses the Secret Signature of the Forger,
a B-grade duplication relic.
He uses restoration as a pretext to keep the original
while passing a fake off to the customer.
The fake can even mimic the original's unique aura.
The effect only lasts half a day,
but until it does, no one knows they've been scammed.
Thank you for your patience.
No problem. How are the relics?
I'm afraid their condition is far worse than expected,
so restoration is unfortunately not possible.
Oh, really?
I knew it.
What are you doing?!
I'll call the police!
Shut up! You just behave yourself!
Who's there?
Long time no see.
Wh-Who are you?
Tie him up, Rope!
You dumb shit! What the hell are you doing?!
Do you have any idea who I am?!
Now, take it easy, Yanagi.
We'll make a deal, then I'll let you go.
Screw that! Just shut up and untie me, damn it!
You can take your deal and shove it up your ass!
Hey! You listening to me?!
Looks like he's already broken.
I said untie me right now!
What the hell are you staring at?!
Why aren't you moving, damn it?!
Yanagi wasn't always like this.
As a promising young artist,
he was even offered a full scholarship by a prestigious university in the US.
But then someone stole the technique he had spent years perfecting.
The thief was none other than Gene Richard, his own teacher.
To make matters worse, Yanagi was branded the plagiarist
and driven out of the art world.
That is how the young prodigy ended up using his talents elsewhere.
He came across the Secret Signature relic at the lowest point of his life
and started working as a scammer.
Hey! How long are you gonna just stand there?!
Can't you hear me, damn it?! What, are you into this kinda thing?!
There's no way I can talk him into it like this.
Well, I'm not, okay?!
Drop dead, you psychopath!
PATIENCE
To hell with being nice.
Do you know what this is?
This is Shakespeare's Adolescent Pen.
Everything written with it becomes reality.
H-Huh? What are you going to do with that?
Poor Yanagi Kotaro, hanging in the air all tied up,
shall suffer horrific pain before he dies.
And the source of that pain
shall be right between his legs.
THE FINAL DECISION THUS ALWAYS LIES WITH THE CLIENT. BY SIGNING THIS CONTRACT, THE CONTRACTOR VOLUNTARILY TRANSFERS ALL OF THE ABOVE RIGHTS TO THE CLIENT. CLIENT: GORIKI RYOGA CONTRACTOR: YANAGI KOTARO
This is a total slave contract.
Oh, please. I prefer the term "exclusive contract."
As if calling it something else changes anything!
And what is this "Hammurabi's Code"
that's supposed to punish me if I break it?!
You conveniently skipped over the $6,000 contract fee?
And you'll receive a bonus for every restoration.
I'd call those good terms.
Shut up! I'm already contracted with the chairman of TKBM!
You know who that is, right? TKBM's chairman!
You're just some NPC!
TKBM? I see. This just got interesting.
So Ogawara already knows about restorers.
Well, now what?
With the Hammurabi's Code contract, I've tied him to me for now,
but I still have to win his trust if I want him to work on God Grade relics.
Why don't we get to know each other a little?
I'm Goriki Ryoga. I'm from Tokyo.
I'm the leader of a new excavation team.
And that's exactly what I want to recruit you for.
Now it's your turn.
I'm not telling you anything about me!
Well, then...
I'll have to do it for you.
Yanagi Kotaro, art student currently studying abroad.
Despite your talent and passion,
you're currently scraping by in LA with art forgeries
and are known as an imitator of Gene Richard.
You don't know anything!
That bastard Gene Richard copied my style!
He copied you?
Is personal art style really that easy to copy?
Maybe it is, if you're looking at finished paintings.
But that guy even painted works I had only imagined!
It was like he could read my mind...
I feel like I'm losing it!
He read your mind?
That might be possible.
Gene Richard is probably using a relic.
There are some that let the user copy other people's abilities.
How do you know that? Are you absolutely sure?!
I know a thing or two about relics.
Okay, here's what we'll do.
I'll get your painting technique back and restore your reputation.
In return, you'll become my exclusive restorer. Well?
Gene Richard... is a relic user?
Hey!
Boss, he's running away!
Let him. It's obvious where he's going.
So that's how he imitated me so easily?
He's a relic user? You're finished, Gene Richard!
The restorer Edward recommended?
What brings you to me?
I thought you had gone into hiding.
I'll take the restoration job.
Oh, you will? Great.
However, I have one condition.
A condition?
I know he owns an enormous relic collection.
A deal with him will benefit me far more.
Yes. You must know Gene Richard.
Of course. He's that world-famous artist.
He came into that fame by using a relic to copy my technique.
Please take that relic from him.
In return, I'll sign an exclusive contract with you.
How amusing.
Hello, Richard. I just heard something very interesting.
Do you know a Yanagi Kotaro?
Do you realize where you are, Yanagi?
I told you to lay low if you wanted to live.
Do I have to bury you alive this time for you to get it?!
Easy now, Richard.
I'll take care of him.
Well, now what? Sorry to disappoint you,
but Richard and I are very close.
Wh-What's your problem? Why'd you hit me out of nowhere?!
Just don't break his arms.
Yes, sir.
You damn bastards!
The plan worked.
In fact, I'd say he's my fan now.