They know we're here, but there are no doshi.
Is it a trap?
Or something else?
Our final destination is the sluice gate.
From there, we'll leave the island by boat.
The sluice gate is beneath the main palace, in the depths of the castle.
Both groups will meet there.
We're gonna wait for everyone?
No way. We'll leave as soon as the Elixir gets there.
Slowpokes get left behind.
It's not that simple.
Even a mid-sized boat takes five to operate.
It'll be difficult, but we can't escape unless at least five of us make it.
Five of us have to survive.
What is this?
The more you regenerate, the more you'll turn into a flower.
If it continues to consume you, you'll die.
An even worse hell could be waiting for you.
Yui would probably be shocked if she saw me like this.
I'd like to see her surprised face.
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
Endings and Beginnings
That's the angle!
It wasn't easy to shave down the guard, but it worked!
Look at that eye patch!
Look, Toma! Look!
Wouldn't it look cooler without the angle?
No, diagonal is cool.
Right, Gantetsusai?
I want to look like a master, not a showoff.
I should exude expertise, like an old man who's renounced the world.
Also, I have no idea how the angle looks since we don't have a mirror.
See? Listen to him.
I see your sense of taste took a beating, too.
You're pretty harsh, you know that?
Put some clothes on or you'll catch a cold, grandpa.
They're still sopping wet.
Idiots.
Do we have time to waste?
We're preparing ourselves.
Don't talk back to my brother.
You got changed quick!
I don't know the specifics, but the Tensen's boss is planning something.
There's a monster called Banko deep inside the main palace.
They're going to use it to turn everyone on the mainland into tan.
I don't know what'll happen after that.
But this fight will only slow them down.
You called it the Hekiji Fukusho ritual.
What if the Tensen die during the ritual?
Aren't they your family?
They won't die.
And if they do, that's not a problem.
Shut up! Don't start with that complicated crap!
It's not complicated.
Also, the little guy's right. Your eye patch is cooler at an angle.
Brother, what were you doing with the Tensen?
Huh? Oh, just a bunch of bochu jutsu and letting them dissect me.
In any case, our goal remains the same.
Go to the sluice gate and acquire a boat.
If we steal a boat, we may be able to stop Rien's plan.
Aza Chobe, will you come with us?
I...
What was that?
Are you all right?
Are you hurt? Should we slow down?
Do you feel anemic?
I could ask you the same thing, Sensei.
I see. You're right.
You're such a busybody.
We're a condemned criminal and an executioner, you know.
We'll wait for the others beneath the main palace.
But worse case scenario,
even if we don't reunite with the others or don't have the Elixir,
I'll get you back to the mainland.
What does that mean?
Don't worry. I'll stay with you until the end.
We won't return to Edo.
We'll travel across the nation's mountains and fields.
Even under Tokugawa rule, there are places where mountain folk still dwell.
You're more likely to find a life that suits you there than hiding in the city.
Until then, I'll protect you until the light goes out of my eyes.
You mean your eyes change color?
That's not what that means.
Your eyes were open when you were fighting.
Do they change color, too?
It's an idiom.
Is that a tao thing?
No, nothing like that.
What is this?
Tremors?
It stopped.
That was a massive but distant sound.
I don't sense anyone.
Execute criminals on the spot.
Yamada Asaemon Shugen-sama has given us permission to use our discretion.
Similarly, anyone who protects the criminals
or tarnishes the Asaemon name...
should be slain as well.
They're new Iwagakure.
You came.
Gabimaru.
Kill anyone who's not a Yamada Asaemon on sight.
You have my permission.
Let's hurry.
Yes, sir.
This is something other than just youthfulness.
I think I'll bring up the rear.
Oh? I see you don't trust me.
You think I'm lying to get out of work?
I know you're liars, too.
You just pretend to obey the Shogunate.
Not that I know what you're planning.
The name Gabimaru is a symbol of the Iwagakure.
Kill the traitor, Shija— no, the next Gabimaru.
Kill your predecessor and become the new Gabimaru.
Reclaim our village's symbol of fear.
Do not worry, clever samurai.
Our goals are largely the same.
Oh, yeah?
As Shugen-sama instructed, we won't kill any Yamada students except for traitors.
We will offer them safety.
Our goal...
is to kill everyone else.
I'll kill everyone who tarnishes the Yamada name.
I'll kill anyone who gets in Shugen-san's way.
I'll kill anyone who doesn't fear the village.
I'll kill anyone who learns the situation.
Kill. Kill. Kill everyone.
Well, that's not my style.
Good luck with whatever you're doing.
Truth be told, I agree, clever samurai.
The killing is secondary.
I came here to bring him back, because...
Ever since then, you've been the only one...
What is this?
Hurry.
Rien, all the Tensen have been defeated.
The Hekiji Fukusho ritual has failed. Humans are coming.
We must deal with them.
Some of the intruders are skilled. They're too quick.
This is unexpected.
Then we have no choice.
Prepare as many doshi as possible for a counterattack.
The cannons and fortress weaponry won't be ready in time.
Arm them for combat on foot and horseback.
Whatever can be prepared quickly.
This is all-out war.
Pay no heed to the tide of battle or casualties.
All you need to do is buy time.
Soon everything will be back to normal.
Let's go.
Outta my way!
Nurugai!
Nurugai, we'll cut through here to the sluice gate!
Sensei, this way! I've got good low-light vision!
What? Lowlife vision?
Right.
This is no time for jokes!
I'm not dying to weaklings now!
We don't have time to fight everyone.
This has become a battlefield.
I know!
Come on, thief brothers! Let's get out of here!
Don't tell my brother what to do!
They plan to leave the island during this mess.
I know war.
War is different from fighting.
It's more than just a contest of strength.
Survival becomes a matter of luck.
It's not fun, and it's nothing to be proud of.
War is just shit.
The only survivors are those who run away
or those who make their subordinates fight for them.
Inhuman monsters.
Shugen-san, there are mounted units over there!
Shugen-san!
Eizen-dono...
Brothers...
Aim for their navels, not just their necks!
Incredible...
Does he have battlefield experience?
This isn't a battle. It's an execution.
A purging of those who killed the Shogunate's executioners.
Block the exits and slaughter them all!
I didn't sense them.
Who are you?
That's quite the fleet. What are you planning?
We're not here for you,
but if we wait here, he'll show up eventually.
Are you those ninja from Wakoku?
No matter. Kill them.
Care for a demonstration of ninjutsu?
Ninpo: Ascetic Blaze.
Leave one boat. Burn the rest.
I'll handle this one.
I can see their tao. The flow of their movements.
Compared to the Tensen, I have a shot at beating them.
The ninja, the doshi, and us.
It looks like a three-way battle, but the doshi won't attack Mei-san,
and the shinobi aren't attacking us.
They must be acting under their master's orders.
We take advantage of that and break through.
Horses?
Hey.
Yuzuriha-san!
I wanted to change, but Ran's palace only had martial arts uniforms.
It took me a while to find something.
I was actually just waiting to heal.
Did you miss me?
Yes!
Yuzuriha-san.
We have to make sure they're dead.
But they're working for the Shogunate.
Oh, you sweet, summer child.
Unlike Gabi, you're so nice and sweet.
Not that you should be.
I checked things out on my way here, and it's super bad.
The armed Iwagakure and those doshi came from the sluice gate.
They're probably controlling the exit.
There's a battle taking place there.
No...
If they're reinforcements from the Shogunate, couldn't we convince them?
Don't be naïve.
They're too bent on killing to talk.
At the very least, they'll kill the criminals, no questions asked.
That won't work. We have to return together.
Gosh, you're so naïve.
I love that about you, but it doesn't change what we have to do.
Everyone tries to complete our initial goal as quickly as possible.
That's our best and only option.
The most efficient way to find the path to the main palace is to split up.
You're right. The Elixir seems to be at the sluice gate, too.
Then all our goals are in one place.
That'll make things easier.
But...
Mei-san, will you come with us to convince Rien?
Sagiri-chan!
Isuzu-san...
Good.
You're alive, Sagiri-cha...
Is that Yuzuriha of Keishu?
The two of you killed the ninja?
No, wait. There's a reason for that.
Due to circumstances, our fates are tied to the criminals.
Yuzuriha of Keishu
Yuzuriha of Keishu.
For infiltrating Sagiwa Castle, murder, and numerous other crimes,
she's been sentenced to death.
She's taken many lives.
Both those of her victims and their families.
Don't be fooled, Sagiri-chan.
She's a villain.
Nu-ru-gai? That's an odd name.
For refusing to submit, disrupting official duties,
and disturbing the peace...
Let's see...
In any case, you're a villain who opposes the shogun.
Aza Chobe, the scoundrel of Iyo.
Murder, robbery, bodily injury, extortion...
Man, what a pain.
Anyway, I'm impressed.
All this gets you a hundred executions. You're a real villain.
By the way, Toma-kun.
I've been wondering since you joined the clan.
Are you, you know, one of those? Are you?
We decided to punish more than just the criminals for the deceased Asaemon...
and our brother's honor.
Both the island's monsters and anyone misguided enough to protect them.
Even if they're fellow Asaemon.
So please, Sagiri-chan, step away from her.
Please come over here.
Once we confirm the way, we'll go back and get the brothers.
You're too conscientious. Let's ditch 'em.
We can't. We have to go back for them.
You're Tamiya Gantetsusai.
You're guilty of disrespecting daimyo and causing bodily harm in various regions.
You're a villain who's committed numerous crimes.
Goosebumps?
Shu-kun.
No matter what difficulties await me...
No matter how bloody a path I must walk...
I will live and make it back home for you.
No matter what hell awaits me.
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