Chapter 10 Episode 8: The Flag Waving on the Battlefield 2

Hakumen starts acting as an interactive narrator as she reacts to being asked to talk more about her former master. She decides to describe her as a wicked woman or an evil woman. She is then asked about why her opinion is so different when most others refer to her master as the esteemed mother of the world.

 

Hakumen says that this is true too, and that this is another part to her master. She was the one who became the base of all other life in Hourai, the one who repaired the auroras that were the tears in the world, the one who spread agriculture and salvation to many.

 

Hakumen then mentions that there are people who say that this lady was an evil lady who started a war with fengshen (sealed gods? Sealing gods?) that split the world in two. This lady was Hakumen’s master, the one who sent the thousand year vixen to the emperor and drove him to smash his kingdom to pieces. Hakumen makes no attempt to deny this and says this is totally possible of her master.

 

Hakumen suggests that the only person who can really say who that lady is is that lady herself, just like Hakumen is the only one to know who she really is at heart. Still people made their judgments of that woman. The criticisms were harsh according to Hakumen. She figures her master would still scoff it all off though.

 

Hakumen’s master (who does appear to be Nuwa) apparently hated having other people’s narrow judgements and rules imposed onto her more than anything. The war of the gods apparently started when the emperor at the time told her to “be his.” She was a great and proud wicked woman, and the state of the world bent to her will. That was how she came to be the one who divided the world, the master Hakumen served and loved.

 

Scene tunes back into the Warmongers medbay in the prison school where Shennong yells about how treatment is going to start and he admits up front that it’s going to sting. So if it does start hurting, he tells you to raise your hand and say so. He then proceeds to heavily disinfect you before slathering an ointment all over your body. As you happen to be strapped down and have a bandage pressed on your mouth, all you can do is chew on the dressing and yell incoherently while thrashing your limbs.

 

Shennong is obliviously impressed that you aren’t saying it hurts as he vigorously rubs the ointment in. He says it works really well but it does hurt a lot, and he laughs about knowing about that firsthand. You try harder to struggle and yell through the bandage dressing, and after a bit more application of the cream or whatever, Shennong finally realizes he didn’t actually take the bandage off your face, then takes the gag off.

 

Now that you can speak you yell that yes the thing hurts and can ask him to be gentler on you. In C if it matters, he protests that he is being gentle and that he just isn’t telling you to lie back and sleep through this. This is how he does his treatments after all, and he says he’s hard on idiots who don’t take care of their bodies.

 

Shennong continues with the ointment application, and you demand to know why you have to be tied down for this, demand to be let go, and/or demand that you at least be allowed to use the restroom alone. In C, Shennong says you can’t and that you need complete bed rest for now.

 

A knock comes at the door, and Shennong comments on whoever it is coming back again. He tells you to stay there quietly as he pulls the curtain around your bed before leaving. After he goes, you wonder if he’s gone far enough and try to call Solomon. Your brand glows, and your physical sword appears in your ring wearing hand. The sword then transforms into Solomon.

 

Solomon greets you and says he’s your new cute familiar Solomon. He then says that while you were resting here, he’s been investigating the building. Solomon then prompts you to compliment him and maybe even pet him. You say he’s a good boy and ask how it went.

 

Solomon reports that of the places he can reach, he didn’t find either Taurus Mask or the Shadow giant. He also says he found a suspicious Enclosed Area in the deepest part of the site. You ask about this space and ask if it’s like the walls that form when an app battle is starting.

 

Solomon tells you that thanks to the ring, he can now appear inside Enclosed Areas so long as he is with you. On the flip side, this also seems to mean that he has to be with you to get into any of them. You think this over and start thinking about what happened in the old schoolhouse.

 

That was the day you went into the deepest part of the old library and suddenly obtained the ring. When you brought your ring to Solomon’s, you felt that the wall that was between you two disappeared. Ever since then, Solomon has been able to enter the battle zones with you. Narrative flashback ends as Solomon says it’s thanks to that he’s able to be with you inside the prison school too. He says he can help even more now and fishes for more praise.

 

You can either tell Solomon he’s helped you plenty before, shrug and say he’s helping now, or decide to pet and fluff him. He’s happy if you pick C and calls you bold. In any case you suggest checking that room out and looking for Taurus Mask et al. Solomon asks how you plan to get away from Shennong. Calm as he looks, he still has a tight watch on you. You wonder if there’s something you could use, think about if Shennong would nap for a bit and ask Solomon to go look.

 

Camera switches over to show it’s Yasuyori who’s come to the medbay. Shennong comments on him coming over again. He has an idea why he’s there but he asks him what it is just in case. Yasuyori says he’s come for you, and Shennong compliments his diligence but says the answer is still no.

 

Disappointed, Yasuyori asks for an explanation. Shennong says it’s nothing big or anything. He’s the doctor so it’s his job to look after his patients. You’re also convalescing still, and Shennong says the rules are absolute.

 

Yasuyori mentions that a lot of the soldiers are starting to be suspicious of Shennong for harboring you. Shennong comments on how there’d be someone who’d deny how the whole school works and everyone there coming at some time. He says you’re too whimsical for alienating everyone around in the military, which is even more reason for him as a doctor to not let you go back.

 

Yasuyori doesn’t try to argue the point, and Shennong says that he gets to decide what happens in the medbay according to the rules since he is the doctor. If even the commanders were to judge him unfit for duty, he’s going to defy them on that. Yasuyori chooses to just suggest that Shennong not make his own position any worse. Shennong laughs that Yasuyori is in a tough spot too to be saying that.

 

Shennong asks if Yasuyori has any other business. Yasuyori asks for his prescription of sleeping pills since he’s been unable to sleep again. He mentions having nightmares the night before. Shennong sighs and suggests that Yasuyori ought to be the one discharged from the school.

 

Shennong says that before he can give him the pills, he needs to do an exam, so he prompts Yasuyori to lift up his shirt so he can check his heartbeats. Then he asks if it hurts anywhere, if his heart rate went up, and if it hurt when he took the pills before.

 

Eventually he agrees to give Yasuyori the pills, but he does warn him that he’ll suggest to Tezcatlipoca and Tanetomo that Yasuyori needs to be shuffled to a different position if this keeps up. Yasuyori nods silently as Shennong hands the pills over, and Solomon takes the opportunity to steal a few himself.

 

Time skips to that night as you wonder if Shennong is asleep. Solomon pops up and says it’s probably okay. You apologize to Shennong and say you have to go, then thank him for keeping you in the medbay. You then sneak out, then ask Solomon to take you to that Enclosed Area he found. He tells you to leave it to him.

 

Outside there are wrestlers patrolling around, and Solomon points them out to you and tells you to be careful not to be seen. You nod and say that you expected this. Narration brings up that Yasuyori said that all the mirrors around can show everything happening in the school. If that were true then patrol guards should be unnecessary. That there is at night means that the mirrors don’t function at night without light to reflect, as a voice behind you says.

 

You recognize Shennong’s voice, and he says he never gave you permission to leave. You are surprised he’s here and that the sleep pills didn’t work on him. He tells you those are his medicine, so they don’t work on his body. He then asks you to go back since he can’t let you go out and hurt yourself.

 

You refuse, so Shennong sighs about how everyone around is in such a hurry to die. He then readies his giant syringe to face off against you, saying it’ll hurt a little when he gives you a shot as he starts the episode battle.