I apologize if this post seems a bit disjointed, but this game was long enough that I felt a need to write as I finished the paths.
First, Otoboku 3, as the nickname implies, is the third game in the series begun with the original Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru. Unlike the previous two games, which were based in the same school, this is based in a sister school a few years after the original game (probably a few years after Futari no Elder, which apparently happened about a year after the events of the original). The biggest proof of this is that Shion, from the original game, is a teacher of several years experience at the school the protagonist attends (meaning that at least four, most likely five years passed, plus the several years of experience… so probably about eight years after the original).
The protagonist, Hisoka, is a young orphan who was raised by a friend of his parents to serve the game’s main heroine, Orihime. Hisoka is… one of those characters who can literally do just about everything to a certain extent. He can fight, he gets the highest grades, he can play piano (and pipe organs), he can cook (and do any other form of housework perfectly), and he can even draw.
He does have one huge personality flaw though… he is one of those protagonists who completely disregards his own needs, always putting others before himself. This is what gets him trapped into becoming Orihime’s bodyguard… while attending the girl’s academy with her.
He tries to live quietly, but that doesn’t last long (since Orihime instantly takes a liking to him). Before long, he is one of the three Elder Stars of the school (rofl, first it was one Elder, then 2, and now it is three of them… a bit obvious, isn’t it?). Being kind-hearted and perceptive, he ends up capturing the heart of just about every girl in the school, none of which know he is a guy.
Now, I should say that the common route of this game is… loooooooooong. In fact, it is even longer than that of Futari no Elder, which was pretty long itself… longer than Grisaia no Kajitsu’s common route, for that matter. As such, this isn’t a game for those looking for a quick common route followed by romance and sex galore. The sexual content in this game is actually quite low, lol.
I’m going to be straight with you… if you played Futari no Elder and enjoyed it, you’ll probably enjoy this one. The atmosphere is pretty close to identical, the protagonist’s role is identical to the previous two games, and probably the biggest difference is that this game is based somewhat later on in the same timeline. The reason this is important is because the game doesn’t ignore the real world… and as a result, the setting doesn’t allow for the kind of completely-closed environment the previous two games essentially were (in other words, far fewer of the characters are ‘ojousama’).
There is also one other thing that differs from the previous two games… this one has a much, much bigger emphasis on ‘slice-of-life as the story’. To be blunt, ninety percent of this game is Hisoka dealing with the various characters’ personal issues on one level or another while going about her daily business. While the same can be said, to an extent, about the first two games, the first two games also had a much more extensive focus on the heroines (longer individual heroine paths).
There are two main heroines in this game (well, obvious ones, anyway), Orihime and Mirei. Orihime is a pushy princess type, who has just been given a year of freedom after following orders her whole life. Mirei is your classic ‘new rich ojousama who is embarassed by/dislikes her father/parents’. She is sharp-edged, has an inferiority complex, but she nonetheless finds it impossible not to like the protagonist (there was one of these in both the previous games, lol).
Orihime’s ‘whim of steel’ is her defining trait throughout the game (partially encouraged by Hisoka). This continues into her path and is accompanied by her tendency toward ‘classical romanticism’ when it comes to falling in love (knight in shining armor BS).
Mirei’s growth during the game is perhaps the most obvious of the heroines, because she starts out as a living mass of inferiority complexes, defiance toward her position in life, and jealousy. The fact that, underneath all those negative aspects, she is actually fundamentally a good person (if somewhat dry and cynical by nature), is something that gradually comes to the surface during the course of the story. Mirei’s path is stand-alone, and it can be said that it has the strongest independent character development of all the paths in the game. There are several reasons I can think of for this, but the main one is that Mirei, due to her position at the school and as an individual, spends less time around Hisoka than the other heroines (most of the other ones aggressively seek Hisoka out or live in the same dorm).
Hana takes the same role as Kana-chan and Fumi from the previous two games, being the protagonist’s ‘imouto’ at the school. She is very devoted and innocent, but her clumsiness makes her an object of constant humor and moe for the people around her. Hana’s path splits off from somewhere just short of the midpoint of Mirei’s path. As a heroine, she is easily the weakest of the group (this can be said of her predecessors, Fumi and Kana as well), as she spends most of the game essentially being an appendage of the protagonist, her role almost exclusively involving making him look good (to be a bit overly blunt, lol). As such, she was the last heroine I chose to follow (I wrote the character intros before I actually played the paths). This path, unlike most of the others, has little in the way of 'outer influences' to create drama. This is because Hana is essentially a 'normal' girl. To be honest, I don't like the way that Takaya excessively modeled certain of this path's aspects after that of Kana's from the original Otoboku (though there is no attempt to grasp for tears in this one). It didn't really fit Hana's personality or character as a whole, though having Hana gain more confidence and take a more active role in her own life was a definite positive element. Really, the best would have been to avoid having Hana as a heroine at all, but having the 'imouto' as a heroine has become an Otoboku tradition...
Ayame and Sumire are twins who share a route in this game. Sumire is serious and straightforward, even slightly uptight. She prefers to act on logic and have a rational basis for any action she takes. Ayame is more intuitive, an artist by nature. Sumire is the school president and Ayame is the student council secretary. Their path is a rare twin love path (one of my favorite types), but it is pretty clear from the beginning that Takaya didn’t take this path that seriously, since it is easily the weakest one in the game.
Ibara Kyouko is the protagonist’s collaborator and backup bodyguard, a young woman with a sharp tongue and a fondness for teasing Hana in particular and everyone else in general. She obviously has some kind of darkness in her past, but she is very weak to Hisoka in general, though she is good at hiding it (or at least better than everyone else, anyway). Her path splits off from Orihime’s path (literally, the two paths split off at the end, just before things spill over into romance), and the ending is fairly amusing, given the personalities of the three involved (sharp-tongued and logical Kyouko, the whimsical dreamer genius Orihime, and the natural mediator Hisoka).
Matsuri is the game’s resident yurufuwa heroine. She is a violinist in the middle of a slump, who was sent to the school (which doesn’t have a musical support program) to recover after she became unable to use her arm properly for reasons unknown. Like Ayame, she is an artist, but she is very soft-natured and slow to speak. She is also probably the ‘happiest’ heroine on the surface of things, as very little seems to get her down, at first glance (another quality she shares with Ayame from the twins). Her path is surprisingly long (of the individual paths, it is probably the third longest), and I honestly enjoyed having her as a heroine.
For the information of those who are interested, depending on which of the final choices you picked, you get a different set of scenes for summer vacation, and depending on what heroine you ‘picked’ (based on your choices as a whole), who the protagonist spends his free time with at the culture festival changes. This is pretty much the only major change made to the common route based on your choices before the heroine routes, which might bother some of you.
For the most part, the endings in this game meet my approval, showing the characters years later, as opposed to merely just after the climax of the story. This applies even to the twins, who have the weakest path in the game. This is probably because the common route ends only a few months before graduation for Hisoka and the other third year students…
The writing in this came, as is par for the course with any game written by Takaya Aya, is first-class. Despite this game mostly being slice-of-life, I can’t really all it a charage or a moege, since not one scene in this game is meaningless, for all its immense length.
Visually, this game is Caramel Box to the core. If you like Caramel Box’s visual style, you’ll like the artwork. Otherwise, you won’t.
Musically, this game reuses some tracks from the previous Otoboku games, but I honestly only noticed this because I compared it on a whim. The important thing is that the music is used quite well.
It should be noted that about 1/3 of Hisoka’s lines are voiced, which is about standard for all of the recent works from Caramel Box and is effective for helping create Hisoka’s character and give life to him.
Overall, this is a first-class game. In some ways, it falls short of Futari no Elder… but Futari no Elder was something of a miracle kamige, so that was inevitable. I do wish that they’d spent more time on the individual heroine paths, but the degree to which the characters were developed in the course of the common route really made long heroine paths unnecessary. Oh, incidentally… I wish Miimi was a heroine, since she was my favorite character. I also loved her narration during the play scene.
Now, I've said this several times before, but AXL is a company that reuses its art, music, and character designs/features heavily. As such, I rate their games solely based on plot/story and how those elements are used (in other words, jackasses who point out the somewhat dated art style and recycled music can go sodomize themselves with a pickle for all I care). Unless you are a bigot who absolutely has to have the latest art styles, this shouldn't be something that bothers you anyway.
Ou no Mimi is a medieval fantasy done in the same style as Princess Frontier and several other of AXL's earlier games. In this case, it centers on the protagonist, Kas, who lives there as a bodyguard for the village, occasionally working the fields (when the old lady Nasta threatens to sodomize him with a hoe) and doing other odd jobs, earning him a reputation as a classic 'lazy young whippersnapper' amongst the villagers. In fact, he is a former knight-assassin who worked in the unit known as the 'Ears of the King', and every night he patrols the village, setting traps for dangerous monsters and animals, as well as looking for suspicious 'visitors' in the night.
This VN follows a similar structure to that of many other games by this company, with a long, dramatic and eventful common route (with some nice action scenes and political machinations), and a heroine route split between heavy drama and lovey-dovey moments.
One huge improvement over previous games of this type from this company is that many of the social elements are a lot more realistic. In particular, the way politics is handled in a constitutional monarchy (think Shakespeare-era England when it comes to the ruler's level of power and influence) is included into the story.
One thing that might or might not turn off some people is the way Kas struggles with his past as an assassin and how it interferes with him forming a relationship with the heroines. A lot of this comes from the fact that he was an assassin in the darkest sense of the word (as in obliterating entire noble families at times), and it was only with the first scene that comes up in the prologue that he is forced to a realization of just how far he has fallen due to his loyalty to his kingdom. (For those who want to cry spoilers, these aren't spoilers, since they are described on the Getchu page and on the official site)
Except for how willing they are to accept Kas's past, the heroines aren't really unusual for an AXL game. Jinea, the princess heroine, is a bit childish, but she is also very obviously someone raised to rule, as evidenced by her thought processes. Pinyo, the protagonist's little sister (and the village apothecary) is your classic 'intelligent adult heroine', though she does have hidden depths that come out in her path. Collio, the daughter of the bandit chief the protagonist defeats in the prologue (again not a spoiler), is a dreamer and a genkikko who is also something of a genius at mercantile negotiation. Finally, Shizuru is an endlessly hungry poor noblewoman living in a run-down mansion on the edge of town.
The best point about this VN is that, despite its length and the amount of content in it, there really isn't any wasted scenes, a quality that even AXL fails to manage to keep in its VNs. Every scene is linked either to the development of the characters or the story, and the endings are all satisfying and well-done conclusions to each heroine's story.
Overall, this is yet another great VN from AXL in a long list of such VNs. For those who like AXL's style (which, while it tends to be the same from one of their games to another, differs dramatically from other companies' styles) games, this is pure crack. For those who like their protagonist to have a shady or downright dirty past, this game is also an excellent choice. Finally, for those who want medieval fantasy slice of life with a strong dose of spice, this is a great choice.
Because I'm a mystery-hater, there is an even chance I'll drop this VN somewhere along the line, so I'll describe what those who are interested should look at when it comes to this game.
For lovers of the Ace Attorney games who don't mind or like ero content, this game is looking to be an interesting one. Each chapter has an evidence-gathering part, followed by a part where the protagonist and his allies (I say allies because several of them are backed by outside influences or are outright under the control of individuals hostile to the protagonist) talk about who they think the culprit is. Last of all is the judgment stage, where the protagonist uses evidence such as physical objects, the shapes of the rooms, the statements of the suspects and others, and other issues to figure out who the culprit is in a public forum, preferably gaining a confession of guilt in the process (this is fairly standard for Japanese police even today, as there is a strong preference for confessions over going to trial).
There is also violence involved, since not all suspects are willing to come along quietly, lol.
Yay, I've been summoned for jury duty... *makes a face*
That said, civil duty is civil duty, so I have to live with it interfering with my life. The first day of my summons is tomorrow, and I've spent the last four days adjusting my sleep schedule so I don't have to do something drastic like pull an all-nighter just to get there on time.
Anyway, I got all but one of the VNs I planned to play for the month done, and that last one is being a pain in the rear, so I'd have to wait anyway.
Right now, for my own amusement, I'm replaying Shukufuku no Kane no Oto wa, Sakurairo no Kaze to Tomo ni, another Studio Ryokucha game... and I'm planning to hit Minamijuujisei Renka after that. I'm most doing this because this studio is one of only a very few that knows how to do non-annoying, truly adorable tsundere, lol. I'm trying to recapture why I put up with so many tsundere routes over the years.
First, I should define what I consider to be 'old' VNs. I essentially define 'old' VNs by the 'ten year rule'. When ten years have passed, generally the cultural references, the artwork, and even the sound styles have changed enough to be almost completely distinct from the most modern VNs. At present, that means VNs made before 2007.
Now, next I need to make a statement... I am not an art bigot. One of the most negative issues I've run across in dealing with newer VN readers is art bigotry. To be blunt, there are lots of people who won't read anything made before 2010 simply because the art style is so different. To those people I say... 'every era has its own taste'. While VN art has indeed gotten more refined in the ten years, to the point where it has gotten to where you hardly even notice the characters are drawn in the first place, I can straight-out say that quality art is quality art, regardless of the era.
Now for sound... setting aside music, which really hasn't been refined at all in the last ten years (if anything, it has regressed, especially usage), voice-acting and sound effects have actually evolved a great deal in the last ten years... at least to the point that you are less likely run across the 'comical' sound effects common in a large portion of VNs ten years ago. Voice acting has mostly evolved in the sense that people that once would have become pros don't make it anymore, so the industry has become higher cost (for the developers) and higher quality (for the consumers). In that sense, I can understand some degree of prejudice.
However, when it comes down to it... I'm a story addict. Yes, I became an otaku because of the way the Japanese treated animation art. However, it is the stories that have kept me going. Now, in my less than copious spare time, I've been re-reading some old VNs... and I've noticed a few things I probably would have missed a few years ago.
1. Slice-of-life was less oppressive ten years ago- I don't think I would have realized this if I hadn't taken this little trip to the past, but the excessively long slice-of-life scenes that define modern charage have been getting longer and longer per scene with every year. Part of this is probably because of the nostalgia quotient rising for the long-time otakus in comparison with how it was previously. However, it is a poisonous trend that is actually making the experience less pleasant and more tedious as time passes, unfortunately.
2. A well-drawn line can be as pretty as any hyper-quality modern artwork if done right- This is something I always asserted in private conversations, but I wasn't sure if it was pure nostalgia until I went back and actually re-experienced a few old VNs. Yes, the styles were somewhat cruder back then... but the aesthetics were, if anything, more distinct and beautiful in and of themselves.
3. Ero was weaker... except when it wasn't - To be blunt, the emphasis placed on erotic content and the effort put into it was far lower in non-nukige VNs ten years ago. Less interest went into making heroines more erotic and more was put into making situations erotic, probably to let the libido-poisoned brains of the average male actually look at the characters before they saw them naked, rather than focusing on projection oppai. That isn't to say the erotic situations weren't erotic... but there was a far stronger emotional element involved because of the way they handled the character designs outside of h-scenes.
4. A good story might age badly, but the ones that don't, don't- Some VNs lose all their attraction as they age and more modern VNs exceed them in every possible way. However, there are still gems out there that are as awesome now as they were the day they were made. Rejecting VNs simply because they are old is a short-sighted approach that makes me feel nothing but contempt, after my experiences of the last few months.
Now... I've been asked to play/replay several VNs and post on each by several people who read but don't post here, as well as several members. These will have to come after I finish Damekoi and after the VN of the Month (currently playing Floral Flowlove), but there is a distinct possibility I'll manage to play at least one more VN through before the release of Deus Ex later this month. I've also had requests to play and comment on more JRPGs, but I'll be honest when I say there aren't a ton of jrpgs coming up that I'm actually that interested in. I do plan to play FFXV, because a friend of mine asked me to go in for half of it (neither of us trusts SE enough to pay full price for one of their games), but I can't really say I'm looking forward to it.
The VNs I've been asked to replay include:
Hatsuyuki Sakura- To repeat one of my usual phrases, I'm going to be blunt with yall... this game is the last truly awesome game I played by Saga Planets (Hanasaki was good but not great). I am tempted to replay it now that I've had some people bug me to replay it... but I'll also be honest when I say that I remember the story a bit too well to really enjoy it the same way on a second playthrough.
Bradyon Veda- Mmm... I really don't know why they want me to replay and post on this one, since I'm pretty sure I already blog posted on it once. It is a kamige, so I don't have any objections to replaying it that I can think of off the top of my head, but I am also uncertain of whether I really want to go out of my way to replay it just yet.
Hoshi Ori Yume Mirai- The console version of this is coming out soon, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised someone wanted me to replay this... and I actually don't have that much of an objection to doing so, as my bad mood the first time I played it ruined the experience for me.
Muramasa- Due to the recent release of a freeware side-story for this VN, I got twelve requests for me to replay and post on this VN. Considering that this is one of my favorites, I again have no objection to replaying it.
Mirai Nostalgia- This is the game that pushed Purple Software from a mediocre to a truly great VN-maker. I still remember being stunned at the massive gap in quality between this and their previous games, and it is the reason why I played Hapymaher immediately upon its release rather than waiting until after I played something else.
The Baldr Sky series- Since the possibility of this series coming over here got raised again, I've had forty-seven requests to go back and play this series again (almost all of them when I dropped into IRC for a few minutes on a whim). I honestly think it is a bit too soon for me to go back and replay this, though I might consider it after I've played Baldr Heart, which comes out next month (but I'm not really sure about).
For those who are still interested, I've been considering three VNs to play (I'm only going to play one for now), mostly because, for the first time in a while, there have actually been more than one notable release inside a four month period.
The LoS game looks to be a low-tension mystery fantasy that is probably going to turn out to be a nakige, based on the getchu page.
Wakai Seyo looks like what it probably is, a moderately high-quality charage by a company known for its eccentric VNs.
Ambitious Mission is the latest Saga Planets game, but just looking at it from the outside mad me feel like it was one of the mediocre ones (there is a huge gap between the quality of Saga Planets' best games and their normal ones).
As such, I decided to toss the coin and let the few people remaining in our dying community decide which I'll play for me. If I get more than ten votes on a single VN, I'll immediately start playing it, though (because I seriously doubt more than five or six people will actually vote on this... and even that is probably optimistic).
Tou no Shita no Exircitus (https://vndb.org/v17835 )- This company tends to produce either excellent games or horrible games. Astronauts is constantly exploring the borderline between nukige, normal VNs, and gameplay-focused VNs and frequently tips over into one of the three. However, because they do occasionally produce good games, I can't ignore them, lol.
Tenkiame (https://vndb.org/v17337 )- Because I love kitsune.
Traveling Stars (https://vndb.org/v16459 )- This is the newest VN from Hook Soft, a company known for producing 'iyashikei' VNs, meant to soothe, give you mild catharsis, and bury you in cute/moe. From what I saw, this VN won't escape that, but because the heroines are mostly non-human, I can't resist trying it.
As you can see, this is a pretty quiet month, so I shouldn't have any problem finishing all three of these. If you find any other VNs you want to bring my attention to, feel free (as long as they aren't nukige).
https://vndb.org/v20314
https://vndb.org/v20339
The games linked to above are the ones I would prefer to leave to someone else for March's releases. For Giga's new game, the reason is that I can't bring myself to play anything non-Baldr by Giga. For the other, it is because I don't like the theme (a k-on club). Anyone who is playing one or both of these anyway, could you do me the favor of sending me your opinions when or if you complete them?
For better or worse, the VN localization industry in America and other Western nations is expanding rapidly, primarily due to the efforts of aggressive localization companies such as Mangagamer and Sekai Project, but also due to the increased interest on the part of at least some Japanese VN companies in making a few extra bucks through localization.
I say 'for better or worse' because the increase in localizations has actually begun to outline what some of the biggest problems with VNs are, for those living in the West. What I've put down below is basic guidance... not all of which I follow myself, but which is mostly common sense (which a surprising number of new Fuwans seem to be ignorant of).
Ethical/Legal problems
1. Piracy- To be blunt, prosecuting consumers of pirated games is a waste of time, and most companies are quite well aware of this. So, most of the fallout for this kind of thing is going to keep hitting the websites and individuals who promote the distribution end of things. A few examples will most likely be made of outspoken pirate consumers (the idiots, in other words), but the problem here is almost entirely ethical for most. Tell me, do you think it is right not to pay for content if you happen to have the money needed to pay for it?
2. Lolicon content- Seriously guys? When I saw that Maitetsu was getting a localization, even though it was an all-ages one, alarm bells went off in my head. Someone is inevitably going to put up an h-patch for the game, and that is going to cause a huge amount of controversy later on that could be a huge blow to the industry, in the short run. Loli content is one of the two nuclear bombs of Japanese eroge, and it is the one that honestly bothers me the most personally (not so much morally, as in a pragmatic sense).
3. Rapegames- I'm going to be blunt... considering the degree to which Western culture has come to consider rape a mortal sin, do you really think games focused around rape and extreme sexual situations (ie the entire Maggot Baits game) are safe for the industry to localize, if you consider their potential to backfire? There is no conceivable way that these games could be considered anything other than obscene by any reasonable critic (not a community one, in other words), and in the long run, games like these have an enormous potential to castrate the localization industry.
4. School-based games- Sadly, the excuse that 'all the heroines are over eighteen' is only going to take you so far in some countries... to be blunt, a judge is unlikely to listen to that kind of protestation if, for whatever insane reason, you end up dragged into court.
Common sense issues
1. I don't think anyone has any business telling us we can't import Japanese games, including VNs. However, as a matter of common sense, you should probably avoid importing anything with a lot of content linked to the numbers 2 and 3 in the section above. I don't mean to piss on your bonfire, but if you are going to buy something with that kind of material, at least have the sense to use digital download purchases and/or don't display the packages for that type of eroge where casual visitors can see them.
2. Figurines and other side-junk- Within reason, there is no reason why a fan of a particular bit of otaku media shouldn't order figurines, statuettes, oppai mousepads, etc to decorate their room or gaming space. However, keep it within reason... I've seen otaku friends of mine go insane and overpurchase, even going into debt, over buying swag. If you aren't rich, have the sense to focus on the main material first, then expand at a reasonable pace into the swag. To an extent, the same can be said of the games themselves, considering the costs of the actual purchases plus import costs.
3. Anonymity is your best friend. Don't pull stupid crap like linking your Facebook profile to your dlsite or getchu account... for that matter, don't link them to your Fuwanovel account, if you are a fan of 'deep' eroge content. Leaving that kind of data around for casual skimmers to find is just plain stupid.
4. If you are a fantranslator, number 3 applies emphatically unless you are about to go 'legit' by handing your translation to a localization company.
5. During scandal times (like when the media is making a big deal over an eroge-related issue such as during the infamous Rapelay incident) have the sense to take cover and avoid conversing on rapegames and lolige publicly.
6. Know the difference between being open about your libido and being excessive *remembers Steve*
A final comment
Needless to say, almost all the issues above revolve around controversial sexual content. Part of that is that many people, both inside and outside the VN fanbase, have trouble marking the difference between fiction and reality when it comes to otaku media (an insanity that I can understand but am long past). As a legal argument, it (as in the argument that figments of an artist's or writer's imagination, as opposed to real women, cannot be considered underaged and cannot be considered victims in any way, form, or fashion) actually has a lot of merit... but that doesn't mean that they'll rule in your favor, in the end, lol. The West is prudish, to the extreme. There is no telling when religious interests will slip a noose around our necks, and general moralists are just as bad. I'm not perfect about taking my own advice. I'm a VN junkie, and I really don't have any morals when it comes to my search for good VN stories. I might be disgusted by some content, but that won't prevent me from experiencing the story, lol. However, a lot of the people around me seem to be utterly unaware of the risks of being an eroge reader... and I felt I had to put this out there, for the 'public' good, even though I'm certain I've already pissed off the anti-censorship and pro-piracy parts of the community, lol.
For those who are wondering, this is a list of VNs I'm planning to at least sample.
Yomegami
Ryakudatsuha no Inen (seriously, despite the fact that it is an obvious trap)
Gokukano (giving this a chance, in case it isn't a nukige)
Natsuiro Koi Uta
Karenai Sekai to Owaru Hana (no idea what this is about, since the Getchu and official pages are somewhat vague)
Suki to Suki to de Sankaku Ren'ai
Right now, I'm playing Yomegami, having completed two endings (Iris and Lycoris). Having finished those two endings, I can say that it is something for the fans of serious/moe fusions to look into, since I'm enjoying it immensely.
First, for those wondering how I found time to do this... Fallout 4 is not a game you can play in small bits, so any time when I had less than four hours consecutively free, I went for this instead (generally it was twenty to thirty minute bouts during lunch, dinner, and breakfast, as well as an hour right before bed). For those wondering what I thought of the original, here is a link to the post in my thread: http://forums.fuwanovel.net/topic/2086-clephas-vn-of-the-month/?page=8#comment-159994 Now, first I'm going to say this game is generally better than the original. I make this statement straight-out because this one fixes a lot - though not all - of the complaints I had with the original, without disposing of what was best about it. The protagonist is generally more active/has more of an effect on the world around him, and he is a lot less of a non-entity, thus putting his character setting to at least some use. This VN follows a different heroine as canon for each heroine route, so I'll list which heroines from the first one were chosen to reach the events in each heroine path in this one here. Kana>Alysticia Haruhi>Usagi Sera>Masshiro Yuzuki>Tateha In many ways, the heroines in this one follow the same pattern as the original. Alys and Masshiro are both ojousamas, Usagi is an idol, and Tateha is the 'futsuuko' of the game. Also similarly, the heroines' deredere-ness is off the charts once the protagonist becomes their lover. In particular, Masshiro is a bit freaky that way. There is a fifth heroine, Anna, but she is a sub-heroine whose path lasts about twenty minutes, so I'm not going to bother covering her here. Similar to the original, the two presidential councils (seitokai) face off against one another in 'elections' where their competing ideas are looked over and picked by the students. There are some differences... such as the fact that the deadlock at the beginning in this one is caused by bloc votes from the cultural and sports clubs and that Gekka's school president is not a charismatic individual (most people are - unjustifiably - terrified of her, and Masshiro is generally considered the face of the council) and Usagi, the idol who leads Tendou is not pushing fun like a dealer with a new, profitable drug like Haruhi in the original was. This deliberate toning down of the general capabilities and the overenthusiasm of the two councils allowed the protagonist to step forward more in this one, allowing him to actually be something other than just a catalyst for events. For this reason, it was much easier to get behind his eyes and enjoy the story than the original. On the down side, this means that there wasn't really an absolute defining heroine, like Haruhi was in the original. In exchange, Mokomoko-san (also known as Alysticia) has the best 'issues' in her path. Her psychological/social issue is pretty obvious from early on, and it is the defining issue with every story element dealing with her. In many ways, this follows a pattern drawn after than of Shino from Uruwashi no, though it is far less severe and the heroine in general is actually interested in 'fixing' herself from the very beginning. Unfortunately, the very fact that that one heroine has pretty deep issues (Usagi also has some nice drama) outlines how weak in terms of non-romantic issues Masshiro and Tateha's paths are. I'd honestly thought Masshiro's path would turn into a typical ojousama drama... for the first five minutes after the drama began, until it concluded (at the end of those five minutes). Unfortunately (since I actually like that particular trope) that didn't happen, and the path itself was defined mostly by endless ichaicha and (as usual well-done) H-scenes. Tateha's path... is just dry of anything interesting, probably because they put all that effort into developing Usagi and Alys. Overall, for those looking for a good charage with great visual and musical quality, this one is an excellent choice... just don't expect brilliance where you are guaranteed to get average-quality.
Princess x Princess is the sequel/extension of Rishia's route from Shuffle 2. Essentially, it begins with Rishia enthusiastically searching out extra wives for Raito while he has difficulty adjusting to his girlfriend's values. However, this quickly expands into a game that, to some extent, can actually be called a sequel rather than a fandisc. This is similar to how the original Shuffle's 'extras' functioned more like true additions to the original game than fandiscs.
I'm going to be blunt... this is better than the original game, to a significant degree. A lot of the things I hated about how they handled Shuffle 2 are done differently in this game, and the style in general is much closer to how the original Shuffle was put together in terms of humor and character interactions. For fanboys of the original Shuffle who hated or just weren't satisfied with Shuffle 2, this game is a saving grace.
That said, this game has the characters traveling to different parallel worlds, where they are inserted into their own roles (with varying degrees of memory alterations) in them. In each, there are differences big and small (there is even one world where every character holds a near-perfect replication of the personality and role of a corresponding heroine from the original Shuffle), but the theme is mostly centered around Raito dealing with the issues in his own life using the experiences he has in these parallel worlds.
The 'paths' in this game are either threesome or harem combinations with Rishia, based on how Raito takes in his experiences in the various worlds. There is a threesome with Selena, Ai, and Lapis, with a full-on harem path and a Rishia-only path put in for kicks.
For fanboys of the original, this game also succeeds in clarifying the 'canon' of continuity to this game from the original Shuffle. The canon apparently is that Rin married Shia but died a significant period of time before she did.
Kurogane Kaikitan part 1
Kurogane Kaikitan is the port of the Vita game by Minato Carnival. It is a somewhat more action-focused game than is the norm for Minato Soft and its subsidiaries, with a much more serious subject matter. The protagonist, Habaki Masamune is the leader of a student anti-terrorist task force using mystical weapons called Kurogane that manifest certain 'recorded' phenomena that can be controlled by the user (this is not explained on the official website, which annoyed the hell out of me when I was reading up on the game beforehand). Masamune is a heavily-scarred victim of terrorism that hates terrorists to an incredibly strong degree, to the point where he is willing to cut them down mercilessly at a moment's notice.
In Kurogane Kaikitan's world, Manhattan was destroyed by a mysterious explosion, obliterating the city and allowing Japan to sign a peace treaty with more of its political and military power intact. As a result of Wall Street being gone and America's resulting economic downturn, Japan was able to take the helm of the world's economy, becoming a special financial zone and the battleground for various countries proxy terrorist activities. This necessitated the creation of units devoted to dealing with this, which at first was the Special Police but more recently a militarized unit called SWAM. The protagonist and his comrades are in training to join the Special Police.
The first thing most people will notice on beginning the game is the horrid use of Live 2d that can't be turned off. I will say that it was a huge quality of life crapfest that they didn't allow the turning off of the sprite motion system, since it isn't that good. Normally, I don't comment on visual aspects, but this was worthy of mention for its negative impact on the experience.
The prologue/common route of the game is pretty long, at just over seven hours on its own (though I wasn't reading it hurriedly, so I probably could have shortened the experience to five or six if I tried). In exchange, the first two paths I did, Amakuni's and Kotetsu's, were roughly four hours in length each. The prologue does an excellent job of developing the cast of characters to the point where you know which heroine you want to pick first (though you have to do Amakuni's or Fusehime's path first), as well as introducing the most important elements of the setting and setting the stage for the events that follow.
Amakuni
Amakuni is the protagonist's childhood friend, who was sickly as a child but became healthy by the time the story begins. She is a master of combat iaido (the action of drawing the katana, slashing, then returning it to the sheath), and she is the classic 'self-proclaimed fiance' heroine. Her path has a good mix of action, ichaicha, and feels, with two arcs (a 'buildup arc' and a finishing arc) that succeed in making her path feel like an extension of the prologue instead of being a random story based loosely on what happened before (as is common with a lot of VNs). Her ending is highly emotional and somewhat bittersweet (a theme for this game as a whole).
Kotetsu
Kotetsu is a different animal entirely from the aggressive and tennenboke Amakuni, as she begins as a quiet loner who turns into a koakuma heroine later on. I mostly picked her for my second heroine because I was extremely curious about her reactions to various events in the prologue and Amakuni's path. She is the type of heroine who, once she falls for the protagonist, becomes somewhat emotionally dependent on him. Her path is cute up until the point where events start rapidly occurring and certain facts about what was going on behind the scenes come to light. Kotetsu's situation is one that draws pity naturally from the reader, so don't be surprised if you find yourself tearing up or wanting to look away because of some of the events of the story. The ending is somewhat less satisfying than Amakuni's unfortunately, but that was perhaps inevitable considering the situation in both paths.
Nene
Nene is the teacher of the protagonist's class and the overseer/handler of the Kurogane unit for the First School. Her path is significantly more twisty and labyrinthine than Kotetsu's or Amakuni's paths, whose trials were mostly personal for the characters involved. Nene is that classic 'older heroine who falls apart in private' that Minato Soft and its subsidiaries love to put into their games. She is also the equivalent of this game's Momoyo (in other words, the trump card/ultimate power that can flip the game board if put into play), albeit with none of Momoyo's whims. I enjoyed this path, but like Kotetsu's path, the epilogue was somewhat unsatisfying.
Tamane
Tamane is the oldest member of the Kurogane unit, a member of a military family famous for its skills with the bayonet and rifle. She often plays the mature and stern older sister role in the group, except that she, like Nene, tends to fall apart in private due to her weakness to those she cares for. Her path, like Nene's, is pretty twisty and complex in comparison to the first two routes I played. I enjoyed this path (the action toward the end, in particular) a lot, and the epilogue for this path is as good or better than Amakuni's, with the parting point in taste being whether you want sweet or bittersweet.
Fusehime
I don't like Fusehime.
I have messed around with a lot of heroines I didn't like over the years, especially in serious games, but Fusehime is this game's Victim A, an out of place character who should have been just another class member. I know that there is this temptation to put a morally naive party member into every 'group of friends', no matter how dark the setting, but Fusehime is particularly bad this way. Naive, idealistic, and full of delusions about what her job is about... just about everything about her rubbed me wrong. So, don't be surprised that I skipped this path, bwahahaha!
Kaikitan Path
This is the game's true path, devoid of romance. It is also the path where a lot of the story's hidden elements come into the open and some of the best battles occur. However, it is also a path that is somewhat rough emotionally on the reader if they came to like the main cast. Honestly, I thought it was a bit too predictable compared to what it could have been with a little bit less teasing in the other routes.
Extra Endings
All the heroines have extra path/endings after the Kaikitan path, based in a different timeline (specifically stated). Like the original timeline, it is a 'what-if' world that is meant for those who like happy endings. These secondary paths are actually reasonably enjoyable, but I honestly enjoyed the main game's paths more.
Conclusion
An enjoyable game based in a what-if world. The world it is based in isn't the one of Majikoi, Tsujidou, and Tsuyokiss, for those who are curious. It could have been a great deal better if they spent less time on SOL, but considering that this is Minato Soft (well, one of their subsidiaries), I suppose it was inevitable that it wouldn't be like that. In a lot of ways, the version of Japan portrayed in the game reminds me of a Japanese-flavored America, in that it suffers from many of the same problems.
Pulltop's new VN, Miagete Goran, Yozora no Hoshi o looks beautiful, has a large cast of voiced characters with sprites, and generally is an obviously high-budget VN... but it is also a VN I'm not really interested in. You might want to ask why... after all, I like Pulltop's games in general, and it doesn't look any worse than the others by the same company, in terms of production values. It is also being hyped a lot (inasmuch as VNs are ever hyped) and a lot of the people who have just begun playing Japanese VNs are excited... unfortunately, veterans are somewhat less so (with a few rare exceptions). Here are the reasons: 1. The existence of an the protagonist's memborship in an astronomy club. I'm going to be blunt... no other club has so many protagonists as members of it in all of VNs. For every four moege, there is one with a 'tenmon bu' and the protagonist is either a member or helps out. The obsession with stars is more of an otome thing, so I can't help but wonder why... I really am tired of reading VN lectures on constellations I don't give a crap about. 2. The existence of two osananajimi heroines... the osananajimi heroine is the biggest cop-out heroine type. The reason? Because the simple statement 'we are osananajimis' becomes an excuse for laziness in character development and relationship development. It also becomes an excuse for one of the most fundamentally idiotic tropes out there... the 'osananajimi>lovers transition'. I have yet to see one of these that wasn't annoying and made real sense when you took a step back and thought about it. 3. The decision to include a non-entity protagonist. Understand, one of the signs any given VN-maker will almost always give - without realizing they are giving it - when they are going to make the protagonist a non-entity or cipher is failing to give the protagonist his own character profile, even when other male characters have one. I am sick and tired of this reliance on using 'normal' protagonists with a group of heroines harem. It doesn't work and it doesn't make sense, so I wish they'd just stop it. It is one thing if the heroine's link to the protagonist is non-love/non-interest before you get on the actual path... it is almost conceivable that way. However, the dense idiots created by most of these companies just don't work as harem masters.
Aah... to be honest, this VN is really nostalgic. After about an hour, I felt like I'd begun an old-style love-comedy anime, full of whacky antics and blushing girls who pretend they don't - or don't realize - they all like the same guy... I only played three of the routes - mostly because it is a straight-out love-comedy with no real story at all. However, I can say that this VN has a few major attractions for someone looking for something light to play.
1. It really is just one big laugh-spree. It is comedic twist after comedic twist, with almost everything being an excuse for a joke.
2. The heroines actually aren't template (ohmygod!)... well, I'd say that at the very least the Jinguu girls aren't.
3. This game's atmosphere in general is a reminder of what old-style otaku love-comedies were like. For those who want to indulge in nostalgia, it is a good choice.
Submitted by Dergonu, edited by Clephas
Pure Song Garden has a similar structure to Pulltop's previous games, Kono Oozora and Miagete Goran: a club at a school doing something together to achieve a common goal (Clephas: Seishun, lol). But this game does put a lot less focus on the club part compared to the previous games, and it actually spends very little time in the school part. During the entire common route + the routes that I played, they only stepped into the club room, and they never actually attended any classes or anything. I liked this, as even I am starting to get a little bit tired of the general school setting at this point.
The game takes place in the future, in the year 2027, where VR has become a huge part of everyone's daily lives. Everything has been made simpler through the use of VR, and people have grown quite reliant on it. One of the most recent trends is VR idols, and a big event called "Pure Song Garden" is approaching where the VR idol Ai will perform "live." A special doll has been prepared for Ai, which will allow her to actually move around, as if she was alive. This was supposed to bring humans and VR even closer. However, things do not exactly go as planned, as a girl from the year 2077, Hoshino Iroha, appears out of nowhere and inhabits Ai's doll body. The time traveling technology used by Iroha cases some major errors with the VR in 2027, thus sending the whole city into chaos.
You get tons of futuristic made up words thrown at your face within the first five minutes in the game, which I have to admit, got a little irritating. I get that we are in the future and all, but shoving all these new terms down my throat so quickly got a little bothersome. The VN has a hint system, which lets you go back and read some info on the fictional terms though. So if you do happen to ignore one of the explanations, you can easily read about it later.
The music in Pure Song Garden is fantastic, just like in Kono Oozora and Miagete Goran. The art is very nice, and this is the first game I have played from Pulltop where they used the E-mote system. There is lip syncing and constant character animations. At first, the lip syncing was not to my liking. It looked odd and unnatural. However, after about an hour or so in game, I started getting used to it. Now, I'm honestly a big fan of it. It gave much more life to the characters, and helped underline the fact that this game was supposedly taking place in the future. The music felt reminiscent of Kono Oozora's music, which made me feel a little nostalgic, and the art was pretty detailed and well done. Overall, great music and art.
The story in PSG was pretty good. It has less drama than the previous games I mentioned, though there was still a decent chunk of it. It did make me cry a few times, and some of the moments definitely had some impact. Overall, although it doesn't compare to something like Kono Oozora, it felt like more than just a standard moege blob. That being said, I wish they would have pursued a few plot points a little more than they did. For instance, the main character has some trauma linked to music that made him a little opposed to the idea of composing songs. In the beginning, he was afraid of even just touching a piano. However, this conflict just kind of worked itself out randomly, which felt a little boring to me. Sure, they had a few reasons in there that made some sense, but I still wish they would have pursued this particular point a little more. Then again, Kanata's own inner conflict wasn't all that important, as the story was more centered around Iroha.
(I did skip a few routes that weren't linked to the true ending, so perhaps they pursued Kanata's trauma a little closer there, who knows. I did not skip those routes because the game bored me or anything, but I was honestly mostly interested in the true ending for the story. Also, Iroha was my favorite girl from the start. I'll go back to the game and play the other routes eventually.)
The main character was good. He was not a full on hetare , and he actually did something other than sit around and be a heroine magnet (Clephas: lol). I also liked the way they used him in CGs. You get the feeling that he is actually there, and that he isn't just some faceless shadow lurking in the background.
The romance in the true ending was good, though a little simple. It was rather straightforward, though I think that was the intention in the true route. Kanata and Iroha were meant to be together, and their relationship was important to the flow of the story in general.
Overall I liked the game a lot. It feels like Pulltop is really adamant on sticking with the old formula that they used in Kono Oozora, as PSG was quite similar in many aspects. The story is entirely different, and the setting is pretty far away from Kono Oozora's. However, the similarities are still pretty obvious. Whether this is a good thing or not depends on the reader. I personally loved the similarities, as I am a huge fan of Pulltop's older games. Still, I can see how some people would want something entirely unique in a new game.
To be honest, if something more interesting is up before I start this, I'll probably play that... why? Simple, you can name the protagonist, which is enough of a downer for me that I seriously want to avoid this if I can.
Setting that aside... this looks to be a fairly standard charage, though the protagonist isn't - for once - a high school student (instead a college student). A big downside of what I read on the title was that it seemed like the protag is a total dimwit, even by VN standards... if a possibly amusing one. Another is that the list of settings for the heroines are all standard archetypical ones that make me want to scream because they are so familiar - in a bad way. The only positive thing about it is that it isn't in a high school, so there are no sudden transfer students, student council presidents, or class president heroines... which is nice.
Can you see how much I don't want to play it from what I said above? Or would you like me to elaborate? lol
God, I think I understand why most of the long-time VN bloggers have always been even more negative than I am about this kind of VN... which is sad, since I joined this site to get away from that type of person. Anyway, for all that bitterness above, rest assured moe fans that I'll at least give this VN a chance before I decide to drop it into the abyss of 'VNs not worth playing'.
Izuna Zanshinken is one of three pretty high-quality VNs made by Akatsuki Works Black during the period of a single year. I say 'high-quality', but it was more for the pleasure levels rather than literary value. Izuna Zanshinken and Yurikago yori Tenshi Made are both what I like to call 'perfect examples of chuunige crack' that are also readable by people who aren't translators or native Japanese. Of course, there are hard moments, but in comparison to the normal ruck of chuunige, they are relatively easy on the brain. The third VN is Hotel, a post-apocalyptic utsuge based in a post-war world where for some reason, all life is slowly dying out for no apparent overt reason. It is a story about how a small community of survivors live their best amidst the growing realization there is no salvation coming. It is a melancholic VN that had me crying repeatedly and hit me with a mild mindfuck revelation at the end, while at the same time ending on a highly emotional note. Izuna Zanshinken is the story of Musumi Kotarou, a young boy trained from birth for the sole purpose of being a 'kept' vigilante assassin. Kotarou's style integrates basically 'whatever works', though he prefers to use katana, claws, kunai, and his bare fists. Since his style is specialized for killing with no element of 'sports' to it, it is pretty brutal at times, lol. Mmm... to be blunt, this VN is drenched in blood. There is more raw violence and bloodshed in this VN than in any other I've ever played. I don't mean the kind of magical violence that you see in a lot of fantasy VNs, where people are wiped out without a trace... I mean people being cut down, strangled, stabbed, cut open, dismembered, etc. Both the CGs and the writing are kind of graphic at times, and for those not used to blood, this will probably put them off. However, because of the nature of the protagonist's work, there is always good reason why people have to be killed by him, at least... and his killing are generally pretty cathartic. The musical style of this VN is almost exclusively variations on classical Japanese music with Japanese or Chinese instruments. Everyday scenes will sometimes have more western additions, but even those will include at least some Japanese instrumentals. Indeed, in many ways they were basically reinventing the 'jidaigeki' style in a VN based in a modern era. Visually... think lots of blood? The style itself is pretty and there are a lot of CGs in this VN, not just H ones. Content-wise... other than blood, there is some rape (no heroine rape though). There are also other objectionable concepts introduced such as human slavery, cannibalism, and lolis with bone fetishes. Most of the VN is done in episodic fashion, with single incidents making up a single chapter. The paths are distinctive, with the 'introduction' or 'common' route helping you to get used to the atmosphere before you go into the heroine routes. In the heroine routes, romance generally isn't the focus, though it is an element. One of the more enjoyable things about the routes is how they shape things so the protagonist plays a different role with each heroine. With Suzuka, it is the protector, servant, and confidante, with Shinobu, it is the role of the mentor and partner, and with Hikaru it is the role of friend and eventually an ally. 'Choices' in this VN are actually mostly choices of what scenes you want to watch (except for a few bad-end/good-end choices at the end of each path). For instance, in one scene you might get one focused in a slice of the protagonist's daily life interacting with the heroines or people at school (though school doesn't play much of a role, overall). However, the other choice might be a Socratic-style lecture from a teacher, where the students debate recent events and issues, like the recent abolishing (fictional) of the death penalty and its effects on society (this issue is actually a central social theme of the VN as a whole), or a scene told from the viewpoint of a victim, an assailant, or an antagonist. Perhaps my biggest objection to this VN is that it was designed with a sequel in mind. You can tell because of the way the secret ending (accessed by filling in the rest of the flow chart) is done, leading you to think that matters are nowhere near their conclusion. Overall, this VN is one of those that I think everyone who can stand the sight of blood should read, just so they can have the experience. It isn't a kamige, but it is a highly cathartic, highly emotional trip down a bloodstained road inside the experiences of a vigilante assassin. Here is one of my favorite CG progressions, for those who want to have a idea of what it is like (spoilers)
Re:Birth Colony is a VN that has a special place in my heart. It is the second VN in the two VN series about a future where a rain of meteors rendered the planet's surface lifeless and humanity is living in arcologies of various types. The first one, Fake Azure Arcology, I plan to replay a bit later. It has the same writer as Hapymaher, Harukiss, Sakigake Generation, and a number of other VNs going back to 2007.
The protagonist, Keram Souji (also known as Rindou Souji), is the adoptive child of a noble in the multicultural arcology of Aquarius, some 500 years after the Star Rain (the disaster) and a few years after the events in FAA. The society he lives in is one split between two areas... the 'Central District' where the nobles and what amounts to middle class citizens and normal corporations operate... and the outer regions that are controlled by criminal syndicates such as the multicultural (with heavy oriental leanings) Gentian. It is a world where the nobles have absolute power... as long as they don't seriously screw up. On the surface, Souji seems like the standard role model student... However, Souji's other identity, as a first-rate hacker raised by Airi (also known as Rangiku) and working for Gentian, is somewhat less... pure.
Souji is a pragmatist, except where his friends and family are involved. Then, he will use any means he can put his hands on to completely obliterate whatever is threatening those he cares about. Seriously. One of the best scenes in the entire VN involves him essentially
In the early part of the story, Souji comes upon a girl called Azurite in a facility sealed off for the past five hundred years, and his - relatively - peaceful life gets turned upside down.
For better or worse, the story of this VN is focused on Souji and Azurite, and while things come to a resolution in all the paths (sort of) it isn't one that is really satisfying in the sense that someone as greedy as I would prefer. I mean,
, but that ending wasn't exactly a resolution to the story's main conflict, lol. The various paths all reveal elements crucial to creating the big picture in Azurite's path, which is the true one... but because of that, they leave too much unresolved by definition
As a whole, the story of the VN is first-class, but that sense that the heroines other than Azurite are just foils for her is more than a little irritating... I loved Noie (both conceptually and as a character) so I was a bit miffed at how her route gets gypped.
Technology in this setting is pretty advanced... in particular cybernetics, AI, and networking technology are all way beyond what is possible now, even if you set aside certain super-abilities possessed by the protagonist and Azurite. That kind of hard sci-fi is one of my biggest addictions, so I quite naturally adore that part of this VN.
Overall, this is a VN that will seriously tickle people who love hard sci-fi and twisted, dystopian societies. I honestly hope they will produce a third VN in the series (a distinct possibility, considering how open-ended the series' concept is), so I can experience more of this lovely stuff.
[Hey, your Mom is an evil woman (toxic woman)!] [I... I can't argue with that.]
(Move... Move! Move! Move, please! If I don't move now...!!)
He tries to move his legs to get away from the three approaching him.
However, he can't move.
His body won't move an inch. It is as if he's being tied down by an invisible something.
(What is this!? What is this!? This is... what is it...? It's as if I'm being enveloped in something...)
At that moment, something was reflected in Ibuki's eyes.
It was a gigantic translucent tail.
It was a gigantic, soft tail with gleaming fur that wrapped around his body.
It was extending from in front of him--- to be straight, it was coming from behind the blond girl to wrap around him.
"Ah"
He was dumbfounded.
From behind the girl two more gigantic tails appeared and swept away the other two that were approaching him.
Incidentally, the only things harmed by the gigantic tails were the guy and elderly gentleman, and there was no damage to the nearby structures.
It appears that she can choose what the translucent tails will pass through.
As he was indulging in that bit of escapism...
"Eh!?"
The girl was right in front of him.
She was giving him a sweet smile that threatened to melt his heart on the spot as she looked at him.
Slowly, her mouth opened.
(What... what is she planning to say? What does she want to ask?)
Thump, thump, thump. His heart throbbed hard within his chest.
(Ok, come on. Come at me! My vocation is a great youka--)
No matter what she says, he will be fine. He will be able to respond calmly and somehow make his way out of this situation.
Or so Ibuki thought...
"Nice to meet you Ibuki, I'm your mother. I've loved you in every way for a thousand years."
His confidence was shattered in an instant.
What was expressed was emotions so sweet as to induce nausea.
He knows he is not particularly perceptive, but he somehow knows... There was no lie to the words 'I love you' as they came out of her mouth.
The problem was the type of love.
There is no doubt in his mind that, though she called herself his mother, she was also expressing 'other types of love'.
It was frightening, so frightening. It was terrifying beyond belief that her emotions were so obvious and intense that a single word was enough for him to understand.
Devilish and monstrous. He couldn't help but understand the girl in front of him was fundamentally different from humankind.
"And so, yes... I think I'll state my appeal points."
The girl (self-proclaimed mother) smiled like a child while clapping her hands.
"... you like this, don't you? This type of girl."
In an instant, the childish, innocent smile vanished as if it had never existed and a demonic smile that looked like it would split her cheeks wide appeared.
"I know" "I know" "I know" "I know" "I know" "I know" "I know"
That single word echoed in his mind over and over.
"Even if I can't become omniscient, I know everything the man I love desires."
Slim, white fingers caressed him under the chin.
"People say a lot of things about me. Toxic woman, slut, woman who destroys nations... But... oh yes. I can say this even so. Until the moment the man I loves reaches his terrible end, no; even after that, I never let them feel regret that I stole their hearts. After all, there is no other woman as 'convenient' to a man as I am, past, present or future, no matter where you look."
Haa her warm breath tickled at his ears.
"This is what men seek in a woman: To be at their side like a wife, to connect like lovers, to be spoiled like a grandmother, accepted like a mother, embraced like an older sister, rely on them like a little sister, and adore him like a daughter."
Even the Red Comet was a bit more humble... or so Ibuki wanted to say, but...
(... She's probably telling the truth.)
Looking into those eyes full of certainty, it is obvious. This vixen that calls herself his mother is... ah, he can't avert his eyes. She is most definitely the nine-tailed fox whose name went down in history as a beauty that ruins nations. He didn't have the words to deny the statements of a woman who knows men more than any other in existence.
"How pathetic? How selfish? How... How adorable a desire that is..."
Her expression was ecstatic, full of scorn and fondness, and a sweet fragrance wafted around him. She was too toxic. Even closing his eyes and sealing his nose, he became dizzy. Even so, he managed to stay upright and listen to his self-proclaimed mother's words.
"The only person who can fulfill that desire is me. Precisely because I once toured three countries, indulging in all forms of hedonism and corruption, I can do so. There is no other woman who can love you like I can, you know? I'll love you with everything I am, so you need to love me back, Ibuki?"
Smack, she kissed him on the cheek. Even as he was being pushed around by the sensation of his brain going numb, Ibuki couldn't help but think this.
(This... what a... egotistical woman.)
I'll devote myself to you entirely, so I would be happy if you came to like me too. If you took her words at face value, it would seem like she was saying something innocent and womanly. However, the sentiment there wasn't nearly that cute.
(She's pushy beyond belief...!!)
Ibuki acknowledged that the nine-tailed fox wasn't incorrect in her statement of a man's ideal woman. However, that was just a reflection of the id revealed when a man's pride and self-control were ripped away entirely. In addition, that desire was most likely so close to an unconscious desire as for there to be no real difference. If not, then all the world's men would be hopeless trash.
(It's rationality and pride that make us human."
For that reason, though there were differing tastes like large breasts or tight butts... There were very few men who were seeking the type of woman the fox described while sober. Ibuki was the same. He didn't want a lover, nor a mother or sisters. It would be correct to say that in his case, those desires were faded and weak at best.
However, the nine-tailed fox cared nothing for his situation. 'You know you like this, don't you?' she said arbitrarily and forcefully while shamelessly asking him to love her. It was the penultimate form of egotism, of trying to force emotion upon him.
(However, what's really awful is...)
That even with her obvious egotism, she had the ability to force one to accept her. Whether it was the inhuman attractiveness fit to ruin a man's life with a single glance, or the experience she had built up to now in using words and observations to manipulate others. There was no way for a normal person to resist if she set eyes upon him. They would fall into corruption in no time flat.
(Even I'm pretty close to the edge.)
He knew she was egotistical and pushy, but he couldn't find it in himself to find the nine-tailed fox's existence unpleasant. Rather, he was feeling good about it. For that reason, he told himself over and over again about how dangerous she was. But well... the results were predictable. It was a resistance more unreliable than a candle in hurricane winds.
(Hmm, is it already too late?)
Was he still sane? Did he only think he was resisting her? Was he not already long-since fallen to her wiles and sinking into a well of pleasure?
Ibuki's sanity was being shaved away to the point where he was unsure of the reality in front of him, but...
"Nevermind."
He let out a deep breath. To put it simply, she simply was on another level. What could a boy that hadn't even lived twenty years do against her? 'They who only have bad ideas might as well be asleep.' Thinking just made him tired, so he might as well rest. Ibuki decided to just go with the flow and let things happen as they would.
"... Hmm..."
The nine-tailed fox showed a smile different from the ones before. In it were admiration that was exceeded by annoyance, and a lovesickness that far surpassed her annoyance.
"Now, self-proclaimed 'mother'. Before you try to show off your appeal as a woman, don't you have something else you should do?"
Her name. He told her to introduce herself first. She knew his name, but he didn't know hers. He'd figured out she was the infamous nine-tailed fox, but if she was taking on a humanoid form, she had to have a name for it.
"What should I call you? Kumiho? Daji? Tamamo no Mae?" "Fufufu... bzzt, you are way off!"
She made an X with her index fingers in front of her face. The gesture was unbelievably sly. It was apparent she was faking it, but it felt so natural it was vulgar. If one couldn't reach that level, there was no way one could be called a siren.
"After all, those are the names of women loved by other men? They are symbols with no more value than broken straws, destined never to be used again. They aren't the right name to call myself in front of the man I've loved for the past thousand years and will continue to love until the void takes this world."
The name I name myself here has to be for you, for only your sake. Ibuki felt chills go up his spine as she whispered that into his ear, but he gestured for her to continue.
"Fufufu, so hasty. That's fine though. Yes, I want to introduce myself as soon as possible. For the past thousand years I thought about it and only recently - six years ago - I decided upon my name."
In an instant, she turned her back to him and made some distance beween them, showing only her profile as she quietly stated her name.
"Shino."
He tried to deny it as a coincidence.
"That's because...."
He recalled her words 'six years ago'.
"It's the name of the only woman to have left a scar on your heart."
With a cheshire cat's grin, she ripped the scab off the old wound.
"You...!"
A Ibuki tried to reach for her in anger, the nine-tailed fox stopped him with words.
"'Now you've done it'"
A pure as a child.
"'You got angry'."
As crafty as the most toxic of women.
"You directed your attention at me."
Shino smiled.
"Now there is no escape for you."
As if he was paralyzed, he became unable to move. He wasn't tied down with her tails, it was her words that bound him in place.
"From now on, whenever you call my name, you will remember your past woman and your heart will throb with pain. No, I made you aware of me this way, so even if you don't say the name, you might feel it just looking at my face."
Baring a heart full of rage, hate, and jealousy, Shino smiled.
"What will you do? Will you avoid the name and call me Mom? Ah, but the more you do that, the more you might become conscious of it."
Tap, tap, tap, she once again approached him, deliberately making sound with her steps. She looked up at him from below after approaching him and stabbed him with her words.
"Another choice would be to call me Shino over and over, wouldn't it? Are you going to act as if it doesn't matter while enduring the pain? Ah, but if you get used to the pain, your memories of her might become weaker."
She touched his chest with her slim fingertips, caressing him.
"When you stop feeling pain, your heart will be painted over with me."
As if to aggravate his pained heart.
"There won't be any way for a woman from the past to touch your heart... aaaaah!"
With an expression of a woman overwhelmed with escstasy, was Shino looking at a future that was certain to arrive one day?
"Haha!"
In an instant, the front of Ibuki's shirt was torn open and his skin was bared.
"How long will it be before the name of your wound becomes mine?"
Shino brought her lips to Ibuki's chest and licked it with her tongue. A sensation that was not quite pleasant nor unpleasant went through his body from his chest.
"..."
"Fufufu, what is it?"
"... I just fully realized it?"
"Realized what?"
"The meaning of the phrase 'toxic woman'."
He understood it for the first time after fifteen years of life. No, he didn't want to understand it. Ibuki repeatedly made deep breaths and put his head in his hands.
(... what is this?)
It was a bit much for his first experience of the World of Illusions. It was beyond hard mode. Did he do something wrong? No he hadn't. He couldn't say he lived a pure and good life, but he lived normally. But this was just too horrible.
(Is that it? Is it my parents? My parents blood?)
Setting aside Soujou Bou (Clephas: one of his three youkai ancestors), the remaining two bloodlines. The oni who wreaked havoc on Kyouto during the Heian Period, Shutendoji. The toxic woman who spread immorality and corruption across three nations, the nine-tailed fox. Was it revenge for the sins of those two bloodlines?
"Uuu...."
It would be cruel to blame Ibuki for getting down on his hands and knees. Ibuki was a child that had just graduated from middle school.
"There, there, good boy."
Struck to the heart, Ibuki was embraced by Shino, who began caressing his head. Her expression was that of an affectionate mother, but it wasn't an expression the source of the problem should have had.
(So soft and smells so goood... this is no good!!)
He could feel his corruption gauge filling up, so he pulled away from Shino.
"Anyway... umm, Mom? I have someone waiting for me. For the moment, umm... just let me take care of this later!!"
Right now, he just had to get away from this woman. Making that decision, he tried to use an excuse, but that plan was shattered in an instant.
"Are you talking about the guy from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? He isn't coming."
"Eh?"
"Of course, after all your mother (me) is coming to meet you. Don't worry, I made sure to tell them."
She quite naturally wrapped her arms around his.
"Now, let's go home together... to our new house.
Ibuki felt faint at the sight of Shino's smile.
(I-I have to live with this...)
I have a new family. That phrase briefly went through his head before being swept away into the distance.
Come into being, oh starlight written across the heavens... for we are a shining falling star.
Oh how foolish, you blind and ignorant master of the throne! How could you believe that you could take from my heart hope for the future with a mere prison at the bottom of the sea and an endless labyrinth?
Look within these two eyes. Know the fierce and undying flame within my gaze. I already fly far into the distant sky, seeking the solemn flame (the sun).
Even though my wings burn and melt away, there is nothing for me to fear.
Fly oh Icarus, that you might obliterate the sins. Rage, smash, and burn everything away!
Let us bring down judgment upon all that is impure as we burn in the light of victory!
Upon my fall, so shall the flames of creation arrive!
For that reason, oh all that is evil. Submit and quietly die out.
Metalnova-- MkBlaze Hyperion!
Shine brightly in the heavens, oh my guardian star, that I might raise up the iron flame.
You are so beautiful, oh treasure that stretches as far as I can see. The jewels I stole when I killed my father, the mount of gold wet with crimson... oh why do they shine as they grab hold of my heart and never let go?
Now nothing is reflected in my eyes but what shines oh so brilliantly. I won't hand it over to anyone, for it is mine! The dragon relishes his joy as he breathes poison breath upon it.
Oh steel sword that pierces and tears apart that joy.
Oh death scream that resonates through my nest. The evil creature is slain, and the epic saga begins!
Oh immortal hero who knows not fear. I acknowledge that you are true treasure of mankind, and the true form of the gold I desire! Before the solemn light, my overflowing desire brings life to my dead flesh!
For that reason, I will devour you whole. For you are mine, I will hand you over to no other!
To speak a prophecy of ruin and endings, I will thrust a sword into your back!
Metalnova--- Sigurd's Bane, Dainsleif! (Demon dragon's war story, the hero-slaying sword of ruin)
我々とは森羅万象の法則が異なる世界、 違うものたちが生きる世界のことを。
A world where the laws of creation differ from our own. A world where beings different from us live.
誕生したとき、その世界はただの“無”でしかなかった。
When that world was born, that world contained nothing but the void.
何も存在しないが故に何も起こらず、幾千幾万の時間が経とうとも、その世界は変化することがなかった。
Since nothing existed nothing happened. No matter how many tens of thousands of years passed, that world continued unchanged.
やがて、そんな世界に偶然――“神”と呼ばれるものが生まれた。
Eventually, coincidentally, a being that could be called a 'god' was born there.
神には世界を思うがままに操る力があった。
God had the ability to control the world as he saw fit.
神は何も存在しない世界を嘆き、“無”を“有”にするために、自らの力を行使することにした。
God bewailed that his world was empty and, in order to turn the void into existence, chose to use his power.
神はまず世界を二つに分かつことにした。
God began by splitting the world into two parts.
自らが在るための“天”と、自らが統べる“大地”に。
One part was the 'heavens' he existed in and the other was the 'earth' he ruled over.
神は天に『ブレシグランド』と、大地に『ゴルトロック』と名前を与え、二つの間に空を置いた。
God called the heavens the Land of Blessings and the land Goltrok, and he created the sky to exist between them.
次に神は、ゴルトロックに草木と水と生き物を与えた。
Next, God gave Goltrok foliage, water, and living things.
だが“生”を与えられても“死”を与えられなかった草木は、大地を覆いつくして空に昇り、生き物は増え続けて大地を揺るがし、大地は凄惨なものとなった。
However, since he hadn't given 'death' along with life to them, the foliage filled the land and rose to the skies, living things increased to the point where the earth began to quiver, making the earth a horrible thing to look upon.
神は嘆き、彼らに“死”を与えることにした。 そして死を与えるという重要な役割を負わせるために、神は自らの存在も二つに分かつことにした。
God bewailed this and chose to give them 'death'. And so, in order to give the important role of giving death to life, he split himself into two.
この時、二つとなった神には名前がついた。
At this point, God, split into two beings, came to have a name.
生を司る神エル・アギアス。 死を司る神ヘルダイス。
The god that ruled life became El Agias, the god who ruled death became Helldais.
二柱は、飽くことなく大地に生と死を与え続けた。
The two deities continued to infinitely give the land life and death.
やがて生き物たちの中に知恵が芽生え、二足で歩き、道具を使う人間ヒューマンや亜人デミヒューマンたちが誕生した。
Eventually, there arose those amongst the creatures of the land who had intelligence, walked on two feet, and used tools... it was the birth of humans and demi-humans.
人間や亜人は互いに協力し、大地をより良いものにしようと日々働き続けた。
Humans and demi-humans cooperated to make the world a better place.
だが人間や亜人が生まれて数百年が経つと、死を司る神ヘルダイスは少しずつ狂い始めた。
However, within a few centuries of the rise of the humanoid races, the God of Death, Helldais, slowly began to go mad.
知恵を持つ彼らは、“生”への執着が神の想像を凌駕するほどに強かったのだ。
Due to their intelligence, the humanoids possessed an attachment to 'life' that far surpassed the imagination of the gods.
死を与えるたびに触れる無念の想いにヘルダイスは狂わされ、いつしかそれはエル・アギアスへの憎悪に転化した。
The regrets of the dead he touched every time he gave death drove Helldais mad, and this eventually caused him to hate El Agias.
そしてついに、神と神の戦いが始まった。
And so, finally the war of the gods began.
二人の神は魔法を使い、神の戦器トラブラムを使い、互いの存在を否定せんと果てしのない凄惨な殺し合いを繰り広げた。
The two gods used magic and the divine weapons, Trobrahm to try to deny the other's existence, indulging in an infinite cycle of mutual slaughter.
神たちが戦い始めると同時、人間や亜人たちもそれに感化されたかのように、ゴルトロックの覇権を握るための争いを始めた。
At the moment the gods began to fight, the humans and demihumans, almost as if they were influenced by the godswar, began to fight for control of Goltrok.
それから永劫とも思える年月が流れ――。
A time that seemed infinite in its length passed...
神と神の長きの戦いにも終止符が打たれた。
And the long war between the gods came to an end.
敗北したヘルダイスは『名前』を奪われ、天から追放されて大地へと墜ちた。
The defeated Helldais's name was stripped from him, and he was exiled from the heavens, causing him to fall to the earth.
エル・アギアスはヘルダイスの代わりに『死の黒霊スレイドバズ』という、心を持たずただ大地に死を与え続ける精霊を生んだ。
El Agias created the Death Spirit Slaidbass, a spirit without emotions, to give the earth death.
大地へ堕ちた『神だったもの』は腐乱した頭で考える。
The thing that had once been a god, fallen to the earth, began to think with its rotten brain.
――生を憎め。 ――生を受けたもの全てを憎め。 ――生を謳歌するもの全てに等しく死を与えんことを。
--- Hate life. ---- Hate all things that live. --- Give death to all things that have life.
――我は“不死の王ノーライフキング”なり。
--- I am the King of Undeath.
これこそが、“不死の王”の誕生であった。
This was the birth of the 'King of Undeath'.
彼は『屍を操る』術を使い、虚ろな思考のままに自身の眷属――屍兵ゾンビを増やしていった。
He used 'Necromancy', and, obedient to the thoughts of his hollow spirit, created many zombie servants. (Clephas note: Just easier to call it Necromancy rather than saying 'He used techniques that controlled corpses')
村が滅び、町が滅び、国が滅んでいく。
Villages, cities, and countries fell into ruin.
屍兵が大国を滅ぼせば、大国の民たちも屍兵と化した。 屍兵が巨人の集落を襲えば、巨人たちの屍が歩き出した。
When zombies destroyed a great nation, the great nation's citizens became zombies. If zombies destroyed a settlement of Giants, the corpses of the giants strode forth.
大地で争っていた者たちも遅まきながら気付いた。
When it was almost too late, those dwelling upon the earth finally realized what was happening.
不死の王を倒さねば、この世界そのものが死に絶えるのだと。
That if they didn't defeat the Undead King, the world itself would die.
全ての地の民──人と亜人たちは種族の壁を乗り越えて団結し『ゴルトロック軍』として、不死の王の軍勢たちに戦いを挑んだ。
All the people of the world--- humans and demihumans alike, came together to form the Goltrok Army, in order to fight the armies of the Undead King.
だが昼夜の区別なく、頭を破壊されない限り戦い続ける屍兵ゾンビたちに次第にゴルトロック軍も押され始めた。
However, the Goltrok Army quickly began to lose ground to the zombies, for they continued to fight day and night unless their heads were not destroyed.
為す術はないのか。
(at this point, the dialogue shifts to vicariously echoing the people of the time)
'Is there no way?'
不死の王が住む凍りついた城の周囲は無限とも思える数の屍兵ゾンビによって護られ、巨人や変身した竜人種ドラゴニュートですらたどり着くには神の奇跡を乞い願うしかないだろう。
The area around the Undead King's frozen castle is protected by a near-infinite number of zombies, and even Giants and transformed dragonewts would have to beg God for a miracle to arrive at its walls.
偉大なる神エル・アギアスはおられぬのか。 崇高なる存在エル・アギアスは我らを見捨てられたのか。
Is the great god El Agias no longer present in the heavens? Has the divine El Agias abandoned us?
そう大地全ての生物が嘆いていたとき、対屍兵最前線の城砦都市ガーレに、九人の魔法使いが訪れた。
As all that lived upon the earth bewailed their fates, nine mages appeared at the frontline fortress city of Garey.
彼らは不死の王によって最初に攻め滅ぼされた小国の魔法使いの一団だと名乗ると、一つの光明をもたらした。
They called themselves a group of mages from the first country to be destroyed by the Undead King and bestowed upon the people a single hope.
――我々の魔法さえ使えば、我らの祖国、不死の王の居城の間近まで勇者を送り届けることができるだろう。
'Using our magic, we can send heroes to the foot to our homeland, at the foot of the Undead King's castle.'
だがその魔法は一人の魔法使いにつき、たった一度きり。 即ち、九人の魔法使いによって送ることのできる戦士はわずか九人。
However, that magic could only be used once per mage. In other words, the nine mages could only transport nine heroes.
ゴルトロック軍は相談の末、数多ある種族の中で、特に突出した勢力を誇っていた八種族からそれぞれ勇者を選り抜いた。
After considering for a time, the Goltrok Army selected warriors from eight races that possessed the largest military power at the time.
人間からエイベル・スカイウォーカー。 エルフからフュール・サングマイン。 ドワーフからゴットロープ・ラナチウム。 オークからラッカロコ・ライターン。
From the Humans: Abel Skywalker. From the Elves: Karafyur Sangmainn. From the Dwarves, Goltrope Ranaschium. From the Orcs: Raccaroko Rytan.
ジャイアントからワイズマン。 ゴブリンからサブル・ハブル。 リザードマンからジル・レ・シャドウフィールド。
From the Giants: Wiseman. From the Goblins: Sable Habble. From the Lizardmen, Jil Le Shadowfield.
ドラゴニュートから、 イングリッド・フォルテンマイヤー。
And from the Dragonewts: Ingrid Fortenmeyer.
そして最後に、八人を補佐する役割を担った従者が一人選ばれた。
And, last of all, an attendant, tasked with assisting the Eight, was chosen.
勇者たちは、九人の魔法使いにより、不死の王の居城『ヴァルトラン』の間近まで瞬く速さでの跳躍を果たした。
The heroes were transported in an instant to a spot next to the Undead King's castle, Valtran.
されど。 九人の眼前に立ちはだかるのは、『不死の王を護る』という命令だけに従う、屍兵の軍勢。
However, what stood before the Nine was an army of zombies obeying only a single order... 'Protect the Undead King.'
その数、およそ十万。
Their numbers, around one hundred thousand.
ここにゴルトロックに生きる全種族の命運を賭けた――九対十万の戦争が始まった。
Here began the fight to determine the fates of all of Goltrok's people... a war between nine and one hundred thousand.
腐肉滴る馬を駆る骨だらけの無数の屍兵たちを、勇者たちは恐れず打ち砕いていく。
The heroes fearlessly struck down flesh-less zombies atop rotting horses.
九人は高位の魔法と武器、強靭な胆力と優れた知恵をもって十万の軍勢を突き崩し、長い城塞を抜けて、ついにただの一人も欠けることなく、不死の王に対峙した。
The Nine used powerful weapons, great magics, iron will, and brilliant strategems to break down the army of one hundred thousand, breaking through the fortress walls, and they finally made their way to the foot of the Undead King's throne.
だが無敵に思えた彼らでも、不死の王との戦いは熾烈を極めた。
However, even for the seemingly invincible heroes, the fight with the Undead King reached the peaks of ferocity.
幾度聖剣で斬りつけ、幾度魔法で燃やし、切り刻み、凍り付かせても不死の王は滅ぼせなかった。
No matter how many times they cut at him with holy swords, burned him with magic, sliced him open, or froze his flesh, they could not destroy the Undead King.
元より神であった不死の王は『死』を与える・・・だけの存在で、『死』を与えられる存在ではない・・・・・・・・・・・のだ。
From the beginning, the Undead King was a god who only gave 'death' to others, and he was not a being that could be given 'death' himself.
誰かが神に祈り、 誰かが膝を屈しそうになったその時、
At the moment when one prayed and another was about to fall to his knees...
不死の王の前に一人の男が進み出た。 これまで八人に付き従ってきた従者だった。
A single man walked out before the Undead King. It was the attendant who had, up until this moment, followed the eight heroes.
従者は自身も知らない呪文を導かれるままに詠唱した。
The attendant began to chant the words to a spell he himself did not know.
魔法の名は“神の降臨サモン・ゴッド”。 選ばれし者にしか詠唱できない、屈指の大魔法。
The name of the spell was 'Summon God', a Grand Magic that could only be chanted by one chosen.
従者はその時知った、不死の王は死を与えながら死を知らない故に、どうやっても滅ぼすことなどできないのだと。
At this moment, the attendant was given to know that the Undead King was a being that gave death to others while not knowing it himself. As such, he could not be destroyed by normal means.
滅ぼす方法はただ一つ。 死を知る者の躯の中に不死の王を召喚すること。
There was only one way to kill him. He had to be summoned into the body of one who knew death.
つまり死を知らぬ者に、死を知らしめること。
In other words, forcing the experience of death upon one who knew it not.
そして。 神はそのために九人の中から自分を選んだのだということも。
And he also came to know that it was for that very reason that he had been selected from amongst the Nine.
従者はその事実を本来の主であるイングリッドに伝え、不死の王もろとも自分を滅ぼすように、と願った。
The attendant confessed this reality to his former mistress Ingrid and asked her to destroy him along with the Undead King.
イングリッドは一度はそれを拒んだが、従者の説得に応じ、その身を聖剣で貫いた。
Ingrid refused at first, but, in response to her attendant's please, she thrust her holy sword through his body.
かくして不死の王は『死』を知り、滅び去った。
So it was that the Undead King came to know 'death' and was destroyed.
彼が滅んだ途端、屍兵たちも塵へと還った。 朽ちた大地に再び草木が芽生え、穢れた水は清らかさを、瘴気に病んだ風は生気を取り戻した。
At the moment of his death, the zombies turned to dust, the withered land began to bloom once again, the tainted water was cleansed, and the wind was cleansed of miasma.
大地を再び生者の手に取り戻したのだ。 人々は歓喜し、八人を英雄として褒め称えた。
The land was reclaimed by the living. The people yelled in joy, praising the Eight as heroes.
そして大神エル・アギアスは彼らが人でありながら不死の王を倒した偉業への褒美として『聖紋』を授けた。
And, as a reward for having defeated the Undead King despite their own mortality, the great god El Agias bestowed upon them the Sacred Crest.
――聖紋は英雄の証明であり、連綿と受け継がれていくもの。
The Sacred Crest is the proof of heroism, to be passed down through the generations.
――八人の英雄が、未来永劫語り継がれるように。
This is so the Eight Heroes will continue to be told of in stories for eternity.
――この『聖紋』は我が与える奇跡。生きとし生けるもの全てが、邪悪と戦ったのだという確かな証し。
This Sacred Crest is a miracle I bestow upon you. A proof that all that lives fought against a great evil.
――それを示すために、この聖紋の継承者には大いなる力を与えよう。
In order to show this, I bestow upon the inheritors of this Sacred Crest an immense power.
かくして、後世の歴史に永遠に刻まれるであろう『八英雄』が誕生した。
And so it was that the story of the Eight Heroes, destined to be carved into history for eternity, was born.
(The first few lines of this can't be hooked, and I've never had the scripts extracted, so forgive me for not presenting the Japanese for them)
Half of this world is made up of 'evil'.
'Evil' is desire.
That which humans spill out as easily as breathing. (Clephas: combination of two lines, due to this VN being NVL style, it is often necessary to translate multiple lines together)
That is an unseen crystallization of people's emotions.
That is desire.
That is 'evil'.
Apparently, half of the world is made up of that 'evil'...
静まりかえった蒼い夜の下、足音がどこまでも反響してゆく。
Amidst the silent blue night, my footsteps echo into infinity.
獲物が、ゆっくりと振り返った。
My prey turned around slowly.
薄闇に塗りつぶされた路地。
An alley painted by dim light.
灰色の煙を吐き出して、俺は、闇の中に立つ異形を見た。
Breathing out gray smoke, I looked at the abomination standing in the darkness.
もう、夏と呼んでも問題ない夜のハズなのに、背筋が凍えるような空気だった。
Though it was supposedly a summer night, there was a chill in the air that threatened to send shivers along my spine.
まだ古くない「血」の臭い。
The scent of 'blood' that wasn't quite dry.
微かに腐敗の始まっている、何か生モノの臭い。
The scent of something once alive that had just begun to rot.
どうやらここは「戦場」らしい。
It seems this is a 'battlefield'.
戦場だった場所。
A place that was a battlefield.
そして、これから戦場になる場所。
And a place soon to become a battlefield.
この街に、こんな場所があったなんて、今日の今日まで知らなかった。
I didn't know this place existed in this town until today.
見知らぬ路地。
An unknown alley.
見慣れぬ景色。
Unknown scenery.
ここは、一体「ドコ」なのか？
'Where' is this?
分かりきってる答えを検索して、嗤いそうになった。
I almost laughed at the question, already knowing the answer.
いつも、考える。
I always wonder.
これは「現実」なのか。
Is this 'reality'?
それとも、ただの「悪夢」なのか。
Or is this a 'nightmare'?
答えは同じだ。
The answer is the same.
どうでもイイ。
Who cares?
どうせ、やる事は変わらないのだから――
It's not like it changes what I'm about to do...
「――まったく、救いようがない」
Demon: --- Truly beyond salvation.
「つくづく救えない！ この虫螻共！」
Demon: You all are truly beyond salvation! Insects!
勢い良く、堰を切ったダムの放流のごとき声量。
A vigorous voice, with a volume that resembled the discharge from a broken dam.
重々しく響き渡る、耳障りな声で、ついに男が罵り始めた。
In an unpleasant voice that resonated heavily in my ears, the man began to insult me.
どうやら、焦れたらしい。
It seems he's lost his patience.
「目敏く！ 浅ましく！ 愚かしく！ 学習能力のカケラもない！」
Demon: Sly! Despicable! Foolish! Devoid of any ability to learn!
「つい先日、あれだけ蹂躙してやったばかりだというのに、何故分からんのだ！？」
Demon: Just a few days ago, I deigned to trample you under my feet, so why do you fail to understand!?
「何故、王の慈悲が理解出来んッ！？」
Demon: Why can't you understand the king's mercy!?
「……イミ分かんねーし」
Sora: ... Tha hell?
「何の話をしてんだ？ お前」
Sora: What are you even talking about?
煙草を口に咥えたまま、目の前の男を見上げた。
I looked up at the man before me, my cigarette still clenched between my lips.
二メートルを超える長身。
A tall figure surpassing two meters...
それどころか、軽く三メートルに届く上背だった。
No... he even threatened to surpass three meters.
まさに長身痩躯。
Truly a lean and tall figure.
異様に長い手足と、闇の中で光る金色の瞳。
Abnormally long arms and legs, and eyes that shone gold in the darkness.
「ヒト」じゃないのは、明らかだった。
It was obvious he wasn't 'human'.
人類ヒト科に、こんな形状の「個体」は存在しない。
There is no 'individual' like this in the family Hominidae.
いかなる病魔に冒されようと、どんなに稀有な遺伝子を持とうとも、「こう」はならない。
No matter what disease they might have, no matter what unusual DNA they might possess, no human would become like 'this'.
こんな「ブザマ」な人類を、俺は知らない。
I've never seen such an 'ungainly' human.
ソレは、ニンゲンなんて「安っぽい生き物」なんかじゃなかった。
That wasn't a 'cheap lifeform' like a mere human.
人類よりも強く、速く、しぶとく、そして悍しい生物だった。
A lifeform stronger than humans, faster, more durable, and disgusting beyond measure.
「……それにさ――だから何？」
Sora: ... and so... what does it matter?
「何だと？」
Demon: What?
「救いようがないから、現実なんだろ？」
Sora: It's because it's beyond salvation you know it's reality, right?
「救われないから、夢を見られるんだろ？」
Sora: You can't do anything about it, so you can dream, can't you?
「理想的で完璧な世界。そんなモンは、ただの地獄だろうが？」
Sora: An ideal perfect world... that can't be anything other than pure hell.
「希望の入る“余地”さえない現実に、価値なんかあるワケねーだろが」
Sora: A reality where hope has 'no way' to exist can't possibly have any value!
“人類”よりも強く、速く、しぶとく、悍しい。
Stronger, faster, more durable, and more disgusting than 'humanity'.
「それとも、もしかしてさ、そういう幼稚な世界が、お前等の理想なワケ？」
Sora: Or does that kind of childish fantasy of a world happen to be your ideal world?
「お前等、“悪魔”の、理想郷か？ それが」
Sora: Is that you 'demons'' utopia?
――それが、“悪魔”。
That was a 'demon'.
俺と、俺達と、彼等の敵。
Mine, our, and their enemy.
「世界」の敵。
The enemy of the 'world'.
「……そうか。昨日の虫共とは別口というコトか」
Demon: ... I see. You were sent by someone different from the insects from yesterday.
「だが――――愚かだ」
Demon: However... such foolishness.
俺の素朴な意見に、見知らぬ悪魔は薄く笑みを浮かべると、そう切り返した。
The unknown demon's response to my honest opinion was given with a thin smile.
こいつらは、殺しても、殺しても、わいてくる。
No matter how many of them I kill, they keep coming.
人間が、殺されても、殺されても、生まれてくるのと同じように。
Just like humans, no matter how many are killed, continue to be born.
「この我に、説法か？ たかが百年も肉体を維持できないような下等生物が！ 誰に向かって摂理を説いている！」
Demon: You preach to me, of all people? A lower lifeform that can't even maintain its body for a hundred years? Who do you think you are preaching divine truth to?!
「テメエだよ」
Sora: To you, of course.
「たかが千年も生きられない、上等生物野郎」
Sora: Oh higher lifeform, who can't even live more than a thousand years.
「自称――アホの“全裸王”サマ」
Sora: Oh self-proclaimed... idiotic 'Naked King'.
「つーか、話フったのはテメエだろうが？」
Sora: Geez, you were the one who asked, weren't you?
「こ・こ・に、何を詰めて生きてんだ？ お前」
Sora: Just what do you have stuffed up here?
こんこんと、指で頭をノックしてみせると、悪魔の眼球に、赤い血流が一気に流れこむのが見えた。
When I tapped my head with my finger, I could see red blood instantly flow into his eyeballs.
その金色の双眸が、明滅するように赤く変わる。
Those golden eyes instantly transform into gleaming red.
実に面白い。
Truly interesting.
どんな構造になってるのだろう？
Just how do they do that?
まるで、魚みたいに「目の色」が変わった。
Almost like a fish, 'the color of his eyes' changed.
本当に、弄り甲斐のある生き物共だ。
They truly are lifeforms worth teasing.
「お前が誰で、何様だとか……いつ、何をしたとかさ――――」
Sora: Who you are, what you are... what you have done...
「誰を何人殺したとか、そんなの、関係ないんだよ」
Sora: ... or how many people you've killed... none of that matters.
そう。そんなのはどうでもいい。
That's right. None of that matters.
「――たださ、最近眠れないんだ」
Sora: ... It's just that I can't sleep lately.
そう。たった、それだけのコトだ。
Yes, just for that little of a reason.
「お前等みたいにクっセエ生物が、街をウロウロしてるとさ、何でか不眠症になるみたいでさ……」
Sora: When you stinky lifeforms are loitering in this town's streets, it seems I develop insomnia...
そう。それが“契約”――――
Yes, for that is my 'contract'.
「……おかげで、毎夜毎晩、街をテキトーにさまよって、こんな“場所”に迷いこむんだ……」
Sora: ... because of that, every evening, every night, I wander this town at random and get lost in places like this...
そう。迷いこむ。
Yes, I get lost.
こんな――――
In this...
“真夜中の世界”に――
In this 'midnight world'...
「んでさ――たまに“お前等”みたいのに出会すんだ……」
Sora: And... every once in a while I encounter something like 'you all'....
そう。こんなモノに。
Yes, something like them.
こんな黝いモノに。
This blue-black thing.
こんな“悪魔”に。
These 'demons'.
出会すのだ――――
I encounter them...
「……俺には、“契約”がある。だからさ――」
Sora: ... I'm bound by my 'contract. And so...
「お前等みたいのは、見付けたら殺すコトに決めてる」
Sora: When I find something like you, I always kill it.
「理解したか？ ムシケラ」
Sora: Do you get it? Insect.
そう。それが“契約”――――
Yes, for that is my 'contract'...
俺が、俺である為の、“契約”――――
The 'contract' that exists for me to be myself.
今の俺の、生きてる理由の、ほとんど――――
The thing that makes up most of my reason to live...
「願わくば――お前で打ち止めになってくれると、明日からすっきりきっかり眠れるんだけど……」
Sora: I hope that it will come to a complete end with you, so I can sleep peacefully from now on...
「他にも仲間とかいるんなら、紹介してくれ。ムシケラ」
Sora: If you know of any others like you, introduce them to me, worm.
俺の質問に、その見知らぬ“悪魔”は、顔を強張らせた。
In response to my question, the unknown 'demon's' expression froze.
ぞんざいで。
尊大で。
傲慢で。
無礼なその挑発に。
怒りと憎悪に狂いそうな貌で、嗤った。
In response to that careless, haughty, arrogant, and impolite provocation, it smiled in a fashion that reflected anger and hatred so intense it approached madness. (Clephas: one of those times when combining the lines is the only option, lol. NVL style is great in Japanese, allowing for some truly great artistic writing flair, but it doesn't work for english that well)
悪魔らしい、醜いスマイル。
It was an ugly, demon-like smile.
そんな貌を見せられると、こっちも嗤いたくなる。
When they show me that shape of a smile, it makes me want to smile too.
昂奮と、昂揚と、殺意であふれそうになる。
It makes me feel like I'm going to overflow with arousal, excitement, and bloodlust.
「………………そうか。そういう事か」
Demon: ... I see, so that's what is going on.
「キサマが――――」
Demon: You are...
「キサマが、この地を穢す元凶かァッ！！」
Demon: You are the cause of the taint corrupting this land!!
絶叫と共に、悪魔が地面を蹴った。
With a scream of rage, the demon catapulted itself toward me.
一気に目の前まで跳んだヤツの、鞭のようにしなる兇悪な脚が、鼻先の空気を文字通り、斬り裂いた。
He launched himself right in front of me in an instant, his massive leg unleashing a brutal, whip-like kick that literally sliced through the air right in front of my nose.
人間の筋力なんかとは、まるで違う。
It was completely different from the strength possible for a human.
速度も。
Speed and...
動きも。
... agility and...
何もかもが違う。
Everything was completely different.
話にならないくらいに。
The point where it was beyond comparison.
軽く見積もっても、「獣」以上。
Even a light appraisal told me it was more than even a wild beast could have produced.
ざっと見積もって、「化け物」というべき動作だった。
Even a rough estimate of his movements told me they were those of a 'monster'.
「……だから、イミ分かんねーし」
Sora: ... Like I said, I have no idea what you are talking about.
“通常人類”の動体視力を完全に超越したその蹴りに、俺は難なく、バックステップを合わせた。
I easily matched his kick, whose movements completely surpassed those that could be detected by the eyes of 'normal humanity' with a back-step.
同時に、煙草を吐き捨てた。
At the same time, I spat out my cigarette.
火の点いたままの吸い殻が、ゆっくりと回転しながら地面に落ちる。
The still-lit cigarette butt rotated slowly as it fell towards the ground.
その間に、空いてる手足で放った迎撃が、人体でいう「急所」の数十箇所を、寸分違わず撃ち抜いた。
While it was falling, I used my open arms and legs to retaliate, ripping through several dozen of what would have been 'vital points' on a human, with perfect accuracy.
「ガハアッッッッッ！！？？」
Demon: Gahaa....!!???
破裂し。
衝突し。
弾ける感触。
The sensation of rupturing, impacting, and popping.
まるで金属じみた硬さの筋肉が、断裂するみたいな感触だった。
It was like the sensation of muscles as hard as steel snapping apart.
軋む骨の、砕け散る感触だった。
It was the sensation of bones grating as they were shattered.
潰れる内臓の、厭な感触だった。
It was the disgusting sensation of organs being crushed.
目と鼻と喉も、ついでに破壊してみたが、与えられたのは、せいぜい「怒り」だけだった。
For the hell of it, I went ahead and destroying his eyes, nose, and throat... but the only thing that gave me was his 'anger'.
「グガアアアアアアアアアアアッッッッ！！！」
Demon: Gugaaah!!!
さすがに頑丈。
As tough as expected.
さすがは“悪魔”。
As to be expected from a 'demon'.
まがりなりにも、“俺達”の永遠の敵であるバケモノだった。
It was in truth, the monsters that were 'our' eternal enemy.
その強靭さには、毎度毎度の事ながら、感心する。
I can't help but be impressed with their tenacity, every time.
この上ない、愉悦を覚える。
I can't help but feel unmatched joy.
こうでなくちゃいけない――――
It should always be like this...
「闘争」とは、互いに傷を負ってこその闘争なのだから。
'Conflict' can only be called conflict if both sides are hurt.
「殺し合い」は、互いに殺して、殺されるべきだ。
A death match should be where both sides are killed and are killing one another.
そうでなくては、面白くもない。
If it isn't that way, it is boring.
「さすがは“悪魔”……腐っても、悪魔は悪魔か」
Sora: As to be expected of a 'demon'... even a lesser demon is still a demon.
「どんなに雑魚でも、そんなニンゲンの形してても、中身はまるで、別物だし」
Sora: No matter how weak, no matter how similar in form you are to a human, inside you are completely different.
「“逸脱者”なんかとも、“人形”なんかとも、違う」
Sora: Completely different in every way from 'Stray Sheep' or 'Dolls'.
「全然違う。まるで違う。優秀、優秀！」
Sora: Completely different, truly different. Exceptional, exceptional!
「さすがは世界を蝕む害虫……そうでなくちゃさ」
Sora: As expected of the parasites that eat away at the world... it has to be like this.
「殺りがいがないよな……なあ？ クソ悪魔」
Sora: Otherwise there's no point, right? Shitty demon?
俺は、昂揚していた。
I was excited.
昂奮していた。
I was aroused.
いきり立っていた。
I was enraged.
“裸眼”の視界は、どこまでもクリアで新鮮だ。
The vision of my 'naked eyes' was infinitely fresh and clear.
「制約」も、「誓約」もなく。
There were no 'constraints' or 'vows' to get in the way.
律する必要も、我慢する必要もなく。
And there was no reason for me to hold back or exercise self-control.
ただただ、ケダモノのように振る舞うのは、実に俺らしくてイイ。
Just acting like an animal is so like us... and so good.
どうしようもなく、嗤いがこぼれて止まらない。
My smile can't help but grow wide.
目の前の獲物を前に、舌なめずりしたくなる。
I want to lick my lips at the prey before me.
「――さて、とっとと“暴虐”を始めようぜッ」
Sora: Now, let's begin the atrocities!
だがしかし、その結末は、とてもあっけない代物だった。
However, the end came quickly and easily.
ニンゲンなんかとは、まるで比較にもならない、正真正銘のバケモノ。
It was a true and blue monster, incomparable with pathetic humanity.
強靭で、強健で、強固で。
そして兇悪無比なその生物を。
紛い物じゃない、“悪魔”の一人を。
気付いた時には、バラバラにしてしまっていた。
Though it was tough, robust, and strong; though it was powerful and unmatched as a lifeform; though it was a true 'demon', not a fake; when I came back to myself I had ripped it apart.
いつものように、殺戮した。
I had slaughtered it like always.
いつものように、“契約”通り。
As always, in obedience to my 'contract'.
いつものように、“侵して”。
I 'violated' it as usual.
いつものように、壊して。
I destroyed it as usual.
いつものように、殺した。
And, as usual, I killed it.
それはホントに、拍子抜けするくらいあっけない、ただの幕切れだった……
That was a truly anticlimactic, normal ending...
Honestly, when I first played this game, I was unfamiliar with roughly half of the kanji choices, so I missed a lot... but the style and the way this writer perfectly utilized the unique aspects of the NVL system made the game hypnotic for me.
The video below starts in the middle of a side-story where Valzeride (the antagonist and hero of Silverio Vendetta) confronts Gilbert over his ideals. They begin to fight because their ideals, while both based on goodness and light, are inherently opposed. Valzeride ultimately sees himself as inhuman garbage and strives to slay evil and bring happiness to the people of Adler, whereas Gilbert wishes to create a world where people like Valzeride are free of jealousy and judgment of the masses. In Gilbert's words 'A proper reward for hard work and goodness, and a proper punishment for weakness and evil.' In order to incentivize good and hard work, he wishes to create a social system where hard work and good behavior are instantly rewarded, and where there is no way to gain from doing evil or being lazy. It sounds great... if it weren't for the fact that it is predicated on the elimination of all weakness in human society.
"It is my victory. Let us walk into the future together." Having lost his weapon and any chance of escape, the zealot's powerful sword is thrust through Valzeride's body. Torn, crushed organs, a blow that should instantly have ended his life. However, he was absolutely sure that the miracle in man's form in front of him would definitely survive. If he didn't strike with the intent to kill him one hundred times over, it wouldn't even be possible to make him take a knee.
For that reason, Gilbert had no mercy. He twisted the handle of the sword piercing Valzeride's body and gouged his body vertically with the blade's edge. The wound was forced open, his organs, already pierced, further ripped apart. His perfectly trained muscles were ripped open and blood flowed like a waterfall. It was over. Having most of his major organs destroyed and lost this much blood, even the hero should be unable to continue fighting. Gilbert gained a certainty of his victory from the sensation of the sword in his hand.
In truth, it was just as he thought. The moment the challenger of light threw aside defense to strike, the duel's outcome was decided. Gilbert had not failed in any respect. Every move he made with his deep insight and brilliant brain created a brilliant outcome at this moment. However...
"No, I will absolutely stop you here. I now know you to be the most dangerous man I've ever met. For that reason, I will crush you, no matter what... I will not let go. I will be the victor!" So this was it, a retaliatory blow that should never have been released smashed into Gilbert's face. It was an impact equal to a direct hit from a meteor. An impact sufficient to make him think heaven and earth had been reversed resonated from Gilbert's jaw to his brain.
"Guagh!" The true form of the meteor was reflected in Gilbert's startled yes... a fist. Yes, the hero continues to fight as if nothing had happened. Undying, standing, his knees not even bending, ignoring the sword piercing his guts and the organs spilling out, as if to say it was not nearly enough. And this was with him disarmed of his catalyst, his body back to basic standards... Valzeride retaliated with the force of his will and bare hands alone. This was, of course, not a measure of last resort taken on the edge of absolute defeat. From the very beginning, with the belief that where there is a will there is a way, he aimed for that moment when his enemy stepped within range to finish him off.
The combo that came after was unbelievably fast, accurate, and perfectly calculated to shake and crack Gilbert's skull. If the fists were unleashed just a little bit too fast or slow, Gilbert would have been able to avoid them. This truth illustrated the fact that this retaliation was a part of pre-established harmony.
No matter how well Gilbert used his Elysium's Astral to control the fight, to deal the final blow, he would have to step within Valzeride's range. At that moment, no matter how well-planned his chess moves were calculated, he had no choice but to take a risk. For that reason, he had thought he took all precautions... or so he thought... but the King of Light easily and bravely trampled upon his preparations. With burning, brilliant fighting spirit.
"I fully understand your ideals. You bewail the fact that the world makes it so that pursuing justice has too little reward. In this current world, there simply aren't any benefits to walking the straight and narrow path. That's what you wanted to say, wasn't it?" To Gilbert as he wavered and was defenseless, Valzeride threw words instead of fists. To use this opening to deal a fatal blow and bring things to an end would be easy. However, as he was a hero who could not forgive evil, he explained his comrade's mistake to him. With the sword still piercing his belly, he calmly, with hawklike eyes, looked down upon Gilbert.
"I understand. It is true that the world being full of evil at present is a matter of course. This is because good is painful, hard, and has little benefit. Even if someone puts their nose to the grindstone to walk the correct path, there is in truth no guarantee they will be rewarded. People seek perfection from hard workers, after all." The absolute victor acknowledged the words spoken by the warrior of the transient world. It was easy for evil to prosper in the current world. That the world's very structure, the nature of creation made it so. "In this state, those with the ability to do so wouldn't even consider walking the correct path. Lifeforms, without exception, try to take the most efficient actions to adapt to their environment. This is no different for humans."
Plants grow upward to take in more sunlight. If there are multiple sources of sustenance, even slime mold will stretch itself out in the most efficient path to reach it. It need not be said that animals - humans in particular - were the same. Even in the world after the Casastrophe, they managed to adapt over the course of a thousand years.
They adapted to their environment and recreate themselves to gain more food. That is the true nature of life. Then... "For that reason, humans staining their hands with evil and indulging in laziness is quite natural. The reason is that one can merit more efficiently by doing so than walking the straight and narrow. If one tries to balance good and evil, it is only natural they will slip toward evil. This is just a grave reality, and it is incorrect to ask whether this is right or wrong."
"For that reason, seeking to make hard work and justice equivalent to one another and create a society where, as long as you work hard, you will be saved, is a quite natural way of thinking." It was a goal that lay on the other side of a labyrinth that would benefit the race as a whole more than the individual. Simply place rewards on the correct path and punishment on the incorrect ones. If he did that, then as a matter of course, all humans would walk the path of collective prosperity and evolve into a terrifyingly correct race... that was Gilbert's logic.
"However..." At that instant, the pressure on Gilbert was multiplied. A shudder made its way through Gilbert's body, even though he had yet to recover his sight. He staggered as he tried to step back and evade, grasping at his fading consciousness. To step back into the territory of Elysium, where his impact manipulation still functioned.
However, at the moment he tried to take a step back, his body shuddered to a stop. Rather than stepping away from him, he moved closer to the hero's side. This was because Valzeride grasped the large sword piercing his body and thrust it deeper into his body. The blade would not come out of Valzeride's terrifyingly powerful spinal muscles, and as a matter of course, Gilbert was pulled out of the paradise controlled by his star.
The next blow of the fist shattered his cheekbone. When he staggered, his head was grabbed in one hand, and in the next moment, a knee strike slammed into his face. "Guagh...!" "What you are lacking is self-awareness." He desperately kept his brain, which was trying to shut down from the impact and pain, using the sound of Valzeride's austere voice as a guide.
"Understand this, we are madmen. For that reason, no matter how much we offer up correct logic, it isn't a madness the common people can follow. We must first acknowledge that truth and strongly admonish and restrain ourselves." From agove the collapsing Gilbert, his voice rained down. To his messed up sense of hearing, that voice sounded many times bigger than it was, and it was as if it came down from a place far above. In addition, he was kicked so hard in the belly that his organs liquified. While he was still bent over, a combo of meteoric blows struck him, the destructive actions continuing.
"Those that can bear true correctness are extreme fools like you and I. This is no joke or metaphor... your ideals will ruin humanity." Sure punishment and reward. Karmic justice. That beautiful order would drive humanity to extinction.
"Urgh... Not... yet...!" The words of judgment were accompanied by a rain of fists. Even facing that baptism of fire, Gilbert refused to collapse. Every bone in his body was broken, his organs pulverized, and his consciousness was cutting out moment to moment. Still, the apostle of Light continued to stand through force of conviction... However.
"Understand this. We are the true disciples of contradiction. The sinners who should be punished beyond good and evil are none other than heroes who known not darkness." However, at last, his broken hands fell from the grip of his sword, and his star of white night faded. "That future is a hell masquerading as a paradise. Ally of justice? Howl all you want."
Valzeride took hold of the grip of the sword piercing his body and ripped it out. He threw the sword with overwhelming strength, causing the blade to pierce through Gilbert's body. His body, thrown off its feet, was slammed into the opposite wall with the force of a meteor. "Urgh... ga...!" The seeker of ideals was crucified with his own sword, shards of metal flying from the point of impact. From his lips came a groan of pain. His voice refused to come out in the face of this absurdity.
"What you desire is a universe composed only of stars... it not only denies darkness but all those stars that don't shine. In paradise, there is no place for the common people." Yes, Gilbert's paradise denied those who fell outside the rewards of justice. Of course, this included in that were those who weren't correct but were not truly evil. There are those in this world, of course, who neither hold onto the past nor aim for the future, just trying to live peacefully in the present. Those who stood between night and day, on the line of twilight were the same.
Most people in the world were neither good nor evil but those who dwell in the between. For that reason, this conflict was inevitable. For the ally of justice's ambition was a future that the enemy of evil could not tolerate.
"I will say it again, be aware of your flaw. To create a society where correct logic is carried out absolutely is to cut off all those who are not correct." Before the pathetic loser, the hero nonetheless walked forward without letting down his guard and picked up his twin katanas. What moved him forward was invincible force of will. His body should have been in critical condition, but he had yet to even stagger.
"I will absolutely bring light to the people of this country. For that very reason, I can't acknowledge an ideal that discards the majority of them. I will give evil the appropriate punishment, but I have no intention of denying those who have yet to take a step forward. I am willing to be enough of a hypocrite to watch over the late-blooming flowers." Valzeride took a stance with his sword, as if to say 'if you still want a fight, come!'.
"... if you seek to be the protector of a heaven that exists not on this earth, then call yourself Rhadamantis." At that moment, the oracle was spoken, and the man's fighting spirit surged. For he knew that to correct the man driven to madness by looking at the hero was his responsibility and atonement.
"But, even so!" Gilbert forcefully pulled the sword impaling him on the wall and once again activated his Astral. Even in a hand whose bones were broken, his nerves were still connected, his muscles alive. Then if he just ignored the agony and grasped the grip, then it was still possible to wield it. As such, he fiercely defied reality.
Without the plug keeping it inside his body, blood gushed forth. From his severed major arteries and punctured major organs a massive spray of crimson spread through the air. It was apparent that this was enough blood loss to endanger the life of even enhanced men like them. Even without that, he was wounded all over and his arms and legs betrayed him. However, he... no, he as well displayed unbelievable strength of will by forcibly keeping his consciousness awake and showed the stubbornness of the Light.
"I want to see a world where those who shine are rewarded...! Yes, I want those such as you to be rewarded!" He cared nothing for the consequences as he enhanced his body. He forcibly moved his broken arms and legs, running straight at the hero.
That was the true feelings of the zealot of Light. It was the fruit born of the roots of his ambition. His insight showed him the future awaiting the iron hero. He saw the end where the hero shaved away at his life, threw everything away, and without any thought of reward offered himself up as a sacrifice... for the sake of the unseen masses, a story of self-sacrifice and death. Gilbert was enraged at that pre-determined future.
The heroic story of a noble being must not be a tragedy under any circumstance. At the end of the path followed by the Light, there must be paradise... At that moment, that was all Rhadamantis the Judge desired and offered up to the shining star he saw as the ultimate. 'I want you to find happiness', the cry of his soul screamed. "Don't make me laugh!" In response was the ferocity of the hero.
Valzeride awaited the approaching swordsman with composure, a katana in either hand. The destructive light of his star enveloped his sword blades. "I need no salvation whatsoever. I will go to hell of my own free will. I will live and die for someone else. Know that it is only for that reason that my heart beats."
Stepping forth from the shattered steel of the floor, the hero swept toward his opponent like a tornado, his weapons glowing with the aurora of judgment. "Come into being, oh starlight engraved upon the heavens, for we are a shining falling star." He drew the divine blade. Oh Rhadamantis, surrender to the fires of heaven!
From here on, the results really don't need any words, now do they?
Come into being, oh starlight written upon the heavens, for we are a shining falling star.
From the moment this heart began to beat, the dark prophecy was set in stone. The messenger of disaster is given no right to live upon the earth.
Sunken deep beneath the dark ocean, the serpent burns its very self with curses. It will never be forgotten, it will never be forgiven. The grinding of scales, the raging fangs. For the sight of Midgard burnt upon the inside of its eyelids stokes the flames of its hatred.
Do you desire my death, oh gods? Then you are resigned to your fate, are you not?
The promise of reaping what one has sown. The great serpent sheds its skin again and again in order to become the prophesied divine demon.
The endlessly long, massive body and resentment. It isn't enough, more, more, more, more... it devours and writhes, and now it is too late.
The World Serpent has been completed. Looking down upon the small planet, its fangs glisten with malice and its tongue flickers.
Now, who should I swallow first?
Metalnova- Sacrilege Jormungand!
Be burnt upon the heavens, oh my guardian star, that I might raise up the metallic flame.
The black death that corrupts the half-man, half-horse. The endless poison of the hydra whispers to me to give up my immortality, but I merely snort, calling it unworthy of consideration.
Let my hooves resound against the earth, let me draw my bowstring back, let me hold my resolve within my heart as I run toward the horizon. Neither suffering nor despair can cause this great bow to rot away!
For if I listen closely, I can here it... the sound of lightning in the heavens.
Oh great father in the heavens, you say that it is too soon for me to become a constellation? You bless me again with the order to fight? Then I will go all out, giving everything I have.
I have cut off my rotten flesh and replace it with iron limbs.
I need not tainted blood, I shall change it out with burning oil.
Until you call me to your side and become one of the constellations, now my comrade let us go together into battle!
Let us raise up the promised vow and loose the arrow to pierce through evil!
Metalnova, Overdrive Sagittarius!
Come into being, oh starlight written upon the heavens, for we are a shining falling star.
The time has come for your punishment, oh dark god of the bloodlline of the cloud giants. You now reap what you have sown, so look upon this. The blade you once forged with your own hands has been freed from the iron box.
The flames will never forgive the countless sins whispered of in the shadows. With the flames burning with rage, you will be burnt away with your castle.
Turn to ashes, oh kingdom of the heavens! Rot away, oh Valhalla!
And listen, you souls of heroes! Those collars are unbefitting of you.
Let us march forth to strike down the gods. For the sake of the world that will bloom once again after the solemn hell.
Metalnova-- Valhalla-birth Laevateinn!
Come into being, oh starlight written upon the heavens, for we are a shining falling star.
The noble duty of chaining the hungry wolf. If all others stand still in terror, then I shall be the one to complete it.
Now go ahead, take a bite. My off-hand was offered to the demon beast, and as it hungrily devoured the flesh and blood, it was chained down firmly.
As the price for my bravery, crimson drips from the end of my mangled arm. My fingers will never return, but why should I regret it?
If I can protect prosperity and the law, as well as show my bravery...
... to be a shield is my honor. I beg of you, that you should smile and praise me.
'Your devotion is the example of what a protector should be.'
Metalnova- Tyr-Bind Gleipnir!
