The real battle starts now.
Such a shame.
We should retreat for now.
Enough is enough.
I don't intend to die.
My goal is to make it back home alive.
To live and see my wife.
Sagiri?
Nothing. Let's hurry.
We must reach the Elixir as soon as possible.
That is our job.
We don't have time to stand around.
Okay.
I'm sure Gabimaru can handle it.
So can the others.
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
Several Moments Earlier—The Bochu Palace
Two People and One Person
Join me, Toma.
I've already worked out a deal with these guys.
If we join them, they'll make us immortal.
We're adapting. Come up here.
Brother? What are you doing here?
No, that doesn't matter. More importantly...
Go on.
Isn't that your beloved brother? Then go.
Or are you hesitating on our account?
Are you sure? Worst case, this could become four against two.
This weakling joining them won't make a lick of difference.
I'll cut every last one of them down.
You heard him. Well, goodbye.
That was rather obvious.
Were you giving him the push he needed?
You're surprisingly compassionate.
Don't get the wrong idea.
It's just easier to control an uncertain enemy than an uncertain ally.
I see. I can't argue with that.
Wow!
You haven't lost your touch, Toma.
Are you mocking me?
If you untie your braid, you're lying.
That's a basic signal.
Ow!
I meant your movements.
If anything, they've gotten better.
You're a real man now. I hardly recognized you.
I appreciate you looking after my brother.
Thanks for that.
Thank you.
That's a token of my appreciation. Take it.
This is worse than being his enemy.
I agree.
How could you?
I thought we could be friends.
Want me to cheer you up?
What? But you're not my type.
Betrayal. A surprise attack.
Humans are so underhanded.
You hurt Tao Fa.
You'll pay for that.
Underhanded? Well, aren't you sages classy?
We're bandits!
We'll lie, scheme, and steal everything!
We're the villainous Aza brothers of Iyo!
It's the same as it was then.
The outcome will always be the same!
Senjutsu: Tin Splinter.
That was close.
Sorry.
Good moves, though.
Thank you!
His scar becomes visible when he gets excited.
He's easy to read.
These two...
They fight like one person.
This man has mastered tao and can detect it.
His physical abilities have improved, too.
But the biggest change is this man.
Nimbleness can eat shit.
What you need to wield a sword is guts.
To be prepared to kill someone yourself.
This is the opposite of then.
They are two as one.
No, they are merely two like one.
Disgusting.
I don't care about the ritual.
I'll kill you again.
Losing my head really sucked,
but Rien's scary when we don't do as we're told.
Let's get this over with.
Bring it on.
Superb!
Great ass, great chest!
The picture of a perfect woman!
I agree.
What?
With her regeneration and superhuman figure,
she's the picture of a fantastical sage.
Wow, thanks!
She's fast.
But getting complimented by you gives me goosebumps, old man.
Oh? You're actually pretty cute.
Want to try bochu jutsu with me?
I'll still turn you into tan, though.
I regret that I must decline your offer...
as I am only interested in what's inside of you.
Inside me? So naughty.
If you want to see, I'll show you.
Don't brush me off.
You're sexy, strong, and I'll be famous if I kill you.
You're the ideal woman.
Give me a little more of your time.
Okay, here we go!
Wow!
Nice one!
Almost. You two are strong, huh?
This is tao, the invisible attack.
Here we go again, Whatever-emon.
It's Asaemon.
At this rate, we cannot beat her.
To defeat the Tensen, we must destroy their tanden with hindering tao.
But unlike the others,
you and I still can't use ours properly.
Hell's Paradise
It's finally time for the Heki... ji? Fukusho​?
The Hekiji Fukusho ritual!
Right? I got it!
This time, the offerings are
this really strong man and this really speedy little guy.
He's right.
Tao cannot be seen with the eyes.
Since we'll be fighting battles involving tao,
we must first learn to sense it.
Now then...
Well? Can you sense my tao?
No.
Because tao attacks are invisible, they're impossible to block.
That Tensen...
I believe her name is Tao Fa. Her attribute is wood.
My metal attribute hinders hers, so we should have the advantage.
But since I can't control mine, it won't be very effective.
We need to come up with a plan.
Shut up!
Don't mention tao in my presence again.
It's too complicated to learn.
This is just starting to get fun. Don't spoil it.
Fun?
Tao is important, you know.
It lets you read your opponent's movements.
I see. She's levels above the doshi.
It even goes wherever you want it to.
See? Convenient, right?
Why don't you give up already?
You can't beat me without tao.
I'd love it if you'd stop fighting and let us turn you into tan.
We're not done yet.
Aren't you having fun, too?
After all, you've been torturing humans for a thousand years.
Nothing about this is fun.
We spend all our time training in immortality here.
We lure humans in for nourishment.
Just that, over and over.
We've done it for a thousand years,
but I doubt we'd achieve perfect immortality
even if we did it for a thousand more.
Mu Dan realized that. So has Ju Fa.
Everyone has.
I'd lose my mind if I didn't laugh.
Or maybe I'm laughing because I've lost my mind.
This isn't fun for me at all.
I had no idea tao was this powerful.
Have you given up?
I think an easy death would be better than a painful one.
This is an incredible discovery.
A new phase in the study of life.
And most incredible of all, I can touch it.
It's like we've gained another organ.
What?
I must take this knowledge back home.
It will change everything we know about medicine.
I thought I'd been thorough in my studies,
but there are still more fields to research.
Didn't I tell you not to spoil the fun?
Nothing's more fun than playing with a new toy.
I feel like we're the ones being played with.
Shut up!
You really do seem like you're having fun.
Lucky.
You must be messed up in here.
So are you!
That was a dull comeback!
What is this... feeling?
He evaded the tao.
I see. I understand tao now.
You can't see it at all. Was that a fluke earlier?
Nurugai's age probably factors in,
but I think the reason you struggle to control your tao is because, well...
Because you're thick-headed.
You don't believe in things you can't see, do you?
You can't control tao with your head.
You must shut out reality and let your senses take over.
Come on, try a little harder.
Not interested.
I'm not spending time on something I can't do.
I only believe in things I can cut.
I can't be certain of anything I can't touch.
I must be able to open, extract, and touch it.
What are you talking about?
It's not like we're friends.
We're all free to do what we want.
Bye-bye.
Hup.
I see, Little-emon. I can see that.
It's a stop-gap measure.
More importantly, watch closely.
If you can learn to sense tao...
we'll have a shot at a counterattack!
You can't dodge at close range, can you?
Are you going to keep taking hits?
So he can observe my tao?
You're so considerate of your friend. I love it.
We are not friends.
We are not friends, but I believe we are something similar.
I'm a condemned criminal, aren't I? Are you sure that's okay?
You're good at looking after others, like you did for Toma.
I'm aware of our standings,
and if you've committed a crime, I do not support that.
But I've gotten to know you.
Condemned criminals are human, too.
Associating with them breeds sympathy.
In this brief but intense time, we've opened our hearts,
extracted what's inside, and touched it.
If I can touch it, it's simple.
Samurai and criminals are the same.
Blood, flesh, bone...
And the desire to live.
It's like a dissection.
Your analogy was too disturbing. I didn't get it.
Then I won't say it again.
What?
I'll never say that what I really want is for all of us to make it back alive again.
If you're not friends, then you don't have to be sad.
I can't see anything, but...
I can sense it. The little guy's in trouble.
You must shut out reality and let your senses take over.
I was able to sense her tao then...
because my blood blurred my vision in one eye.
Because I couldn't see, I relied on my senses.
I gouged out one. The other's blurry.
Well... I can't see a thing.
But I can sense it clearly now.
You dodged it again.
Incredible, Gantetsu...
You really are an incredible woman.
You have my thanks.
Every time it's heated up and beaten, it gets sharper, harder, and stronger!
A phallus?
* Phallus means penis
A sword?
This is starting to get interesting!
On the other side, even today
Someone is unraveling, yet they still stand
A stab to the chest, this loneliness
Points and lines, breaking off and vanishing
My shattered mask
It's more than I can bear
But I must keep on living
Tomorrow awaits to greet me
It's endless
And so fragile
Is it better to believe hearts don't exist at all?
Radiant and soft
Was the hand
I squeezed back on that day