Chapter 10 Episode 16: The Light in the Darkness 1

The game starts narrating about Mineaki and how he is a hidden side unrelated to being a doctor at Yoyogi. That is, he’s a top class agent for the guild of spies with members from every world. He has no combat ability, but he can see into every organization that dominates Tokyo, outwit them, and survive.

 

What makes this possible is the eye artifact from Deva Loka that’s been transplanted into him. It’s been referred to as clairvoyance in one form or another, and it’s not your average eye. It is the artifact of the one known as one of the four heavenly kings from Deva Loka, Virupaksha. You might know him better as Koumokuten.

 

Anyway, this eye has the ability to collect any sort of information/light no matter how far away it is. If you know what’s happening anywhere, then you have nothing to fear since all you need to do is adapt. That’s what Mineaki has done to survive through the World Representative’s endless war game.

 

For all the eye does, there’s one bit of darkness in Tokyo that Mineaki can’t see through with it. That would be the person who ranks even higher that Koumokuten in terms of class and concept, one of the Warmongers’ strongest parts to their forces, the World Representative of Deva Loka. That is Mahakala the Great Darkness, the darkest thing in Tokyo that would swallow all light. If people fear what they don’t understand, then Mahakala would be the most feared thing of all in Tokyo.

 

Mahakala is wrapped in mystery, as his appearance, class, concept, and personality are all not well known. One rumor says he’s extremely violent and treats other Transients as objects. Another describes him as wise and gentle, merciful above all others. So much conflicting information is out there, like they were describing two different people.

 

Narration then pulls up a flashback to a time before Shirou and Moritaka head to the dark auction. Mineaki is attempting to talk Ashigara out of putting himself at risk, saying he’d be walking into hidden dangers if he tries to bring back his classmates.

 

Ashigara however insists on going since he can’t accept them trying to transfer out without saying anything. He complains about Yasuyori nagging him all the time about everything when they were in the club together, so him up and leaving without a word is weird as hell.

 

Ashigara calls Yasuyori an earnest idiot, so he figures he must have been conned or something. He tried talking to the police about it, but they have no response at all, so he’s decided to go get everyone back himself. Mineaki laughs gently before asking him in concern if he’s serious despite not knowing how bad it can be. He starts asking if he’s unafraid before figuring it’s the opposite.

 

Mineaki decides to stop trying to talk him out of it and gives Ashigara something. This turns out to be a letter of introduction to the dark auction. When asked what it is, Mineaki says there’s a lead to where Yasuyori is at that place. He’s about to say more when he decides against it for whatever reason. He tells Ashigara that he wishes for the safety of the students with all his heart.

 

Sometime later in that flashback, Hougen calls Mineaki on the phone, who comments on how convenient the timing is and says Hougen has clairvoyance too. But anyways, as Hougen suspected, Mineaki tells him that a certain police chief is connected to the prison school in Nerima. He also tells him about fake policemen being used to arrest Transients to be sold in the dark auction. The one backing all this is Mahakala the Great Darkness.

 

Mineaki says he’ll send all the information he has to Hougen about Tezcatlipoca, Mahakala, related members, and the date and time of the auction. In return, he asks him to do what he asked him earlier. Mineaki seems ready to wrap things up there when Hougen apparently expresses concern for Mineaki’s position.

 

Mineaki says there’s danger to be expected, but that comes with being a triple agent or a quadruple agent. He’s been with the Agents for a long time, and that guild will probably end at odds with all of the true big three guilds. Still, Mineaki isn’t worried and says it’ll work out somehow. He also downplays his own courage compared to his students when Hougen says something about that. For the time being he’ll be going underground, and he asks Hougen to deal with comes next since he himself can’t fight.

 

Back to the present, Xolotl has made it to the auction house as he says being alone in such a bright place is scaring him. Some mobster in the place thinks Xolotl is one of them and tells him to straighten up in front of the guests. Xolotl apologizes before trying to explain he’s not one of the guards, but the guy leaves before he gets far. He then comments to himself that being mistaken as such means he’s out of place.

 

Xolotl reminds himself that he shouldn’t always hide behind Hakumen, and that he came here because Hakemen’s secret mission for him involved going to the auction house. He grabs his shaking tail in an attempt to steel himself, then backtracks a little saying he’d feel better if someone he knew was there. Then he notices something.

 

Tsukuyomi makes his dramatic entrance as his theme flips on, bringing all attention onto him. A maid squeals about recognizing him, her apparent boss says he’s so pretty and that he needs to make an impression when he goes to greet him. Tsukuyomi is mobbed by the crowd of sketchy randos, and two greet him enthusiastically and start spouting rumors at him as they try to talk to him.

 

Some time later, Tsukuyomi informs the rest of the party there that Warmongers minions are on their way. Also, the Transients sold today are being put onto a prisoner transport vehicle right that moment. He says it’s their chance as he suggests the four of them sneak onto that vehicle. Wherever it goes is likely where you, Ibaraki, and the other Outlaws are held.

 

Tetsuya points out that’s harder than he’s putting it since it’ll mean slipping past all the mobsters guarding the thing. Tsukuyomi says he’ll create an opening for them, so he asks them to get on after that. Then he says it’s time to start the operation, even if it’s frightening.

 

Yasuyori shows up with two flunkies and says he’s here to pick up the new additions. Narration describes how detached Yasuyori is acting about needing to pick up replacements for the forces that have been lost in the battle with the Invaders.

 

He makes no reaction to being in front of the guy who sold him off, and he thinks about only needing to do his job since he believes he can’t do anything about the endless game. A bunch of randos and Breke are escorted away, and Yasuyori doesn’t react until he sees Ashigara there too. He asks in surprise why he’s there.

 

Scene shifts back to your side as Ibaraki, Tetsugyuu, and Gyoubu attack. Shennong comments that they’ve also been sold off at the auction and then put in here by Tezcatlipoca, making a wry face as he fends off one of Ibaraki’s attacks. Narration talks about how it’s hard to tell how much time has passed outside, but to Shennong it feels like he’s been fighting days here as he injects the corresponding amount of nutrients.

 

Despite that, it doesn’t feel like it’s been days in the mirror either because time intervals inside Enclosed Areas get vague. It may be a moment, or it may have been a day outside. Who knows? But Shennong’s thoughts are interrupted as he avoids another attack, reminding himself to focus while saying the Outlaws are pretty strong. He wonders who they are to possibly crush him with just brute force.

 

You call out to the Outlaws, and Shennong figures you must know them because of that. He then yells about how naive you are acting like that in front of people trying to kill you. He says it reminds him of a big idiot he remembers, but he gives in and decides to be considerate of your feelings as he gets ready to act.

 

The Outlaws manage to get a blow in on Shennong, and you call out to him as he starts bleeding. He’s less concerned as he smirks, telling the Outlaws they were careless since they’re downwind. The blood spray paralyzes the three, giving Shennong the opening to fire his NP at them to put them to sleep. They fall over as their darkening seems to let up, and Shennong sighs about how much work it takes to babysit someone naive. You can either thank him, be concerned for his injury, or hug him hard.

 

Going C, Shennong tries to yell at you to stay away, only to be surprised that when the blood touches you, nothing happens. He tries to ask what your deal is. In any case, he remembers that when he used his blood on you earlier it didn’t last very long. He wonders if it’s the power of your sword and starts remembering the light it gave off.

 

Shennong sets the thought aside and tells you to not do anything stupid again. He then asks if you’ll follow his directions, so you can either nod or shake your head. In A, he sighs and figures you’ll do the same thing if the same case happens again, jumping in without listening to anyone.

 

Shennong asks if you get what you saw, and if you don’t then you should keep watching. He points out the visions of Ruined Tokyo, where you can hear gunfire, swords clashing, and screams coming from everywhere. This is a view Shennong has seen many many times in his home world. Tokyo is the same, caught in the endless war game by the 23 World Representatives.

 

Shennong talks about how the war doesn’t end, saying it’ll happen over and over again in this world for sure. That’s just how the world is, and he begs you to give up. These are the words he started telling himself at some point, the reality that always thrust itself at him. Now it’s his turn to push it to someone else, and his fists shake against the backdrop.

 

Shennong advises you to look out only for yourself, asking if you hear him. You refuse to do so and shake your head. He demands to know why, asking if you’re doing this because someone asked you for help. If so, he suggests forgetting about it and not living for someone else’s sake. He tells you to take care of yourself and to stop sacrificing yourself because he doesn’t want to see it anymore.

 

Shennong remembers about how he tried to work to change his world on his own, only to fall on his own. It was a wretched sight, and here he is doing it all over again. You tell him he’s right or he’s wrong, which he doesn’t understand at first. Narration says that the one who wants to save someone and change the situation, the one continuing to fight even now is...

 

Images of Possessed Shirou, most of the Genociders sans Arc, and Shino flash by, then you say it’s not because you were asked to do this, or that you made your choice yourself. Many people came to save you and entrusted you with their wishes. They asked you to take up the path they left off on.

 

But thinking on it, you could always stop that whenever you want. If the game is endless, then that’s enough reason to stop on its own. You could turn away from what’s happening and close yourself off, but here you are continuing to fight it. If there’s a reason for that, you say it’s because you want to see the future with everyone, that you’d regret giving up, or that you don’t want to lose.

 

You aren’t doing this for someone else. You are doing this for yourself. You are the only one who can stop yourself, and you are the only one who can move yourself. At this time a brilliant light illuminates the sky and ground around you. Your sword is shining with the same light and color as that day. Shennong reacts with shock as narration continues by describing it as the aurora that waves like a flag, bringing an end to the world believed to be endless.

 

Shennong starts up a flashback to his younger self when he ignorantly kept challenging the unending battlefield trying to stop it. He was proud, insolent, and foolish, challenging the world out of stubbornness. He was afraid of course. It wasn’t for justice that he did it, or for someone else’s sake. He just hated the endless war and couldn’t put up with it.

 

Shennong is quiet, and he’s reminded of himself from that time as he looks at you. He sees someone going to the war zone alone. He starts talking again about how he doesn’t want you to getting wrecked by yourself somewhere by the road. He feels you’ll definitely go down the same path he did, so he decides to say something to his self from that time, the words he wanted to say to himself.

 

Shennong says he’ll go with you, in for a penny, in for a pound. You express confusion or shock at what he said, and he gets a little blushy about needing to be clear. He repeats himself and says he wants to end the war with you. You thank him and can shake his hand or jump into him.

 

In C he’s surprised, but he starts patting your hair as his shoulders shake, holding you to him. He asks if you were bluffing earlier and says kids shouldn’t do that. He also comments to himself about how being close with someone like this isn’t bad, surprisingly.

 

Anyways, Shennong tells you that you two are stuck in Tezcatlipoca’s network. This is the memories of war that he possesses, and everyone’s else minds are either being eaten or upstaged by it. He compares the memories of constantly having to hurt others to poison, then compares it to being caught in a spider’s web. But it’s also because of that that something can be done.

 

You try to ask what he means when you notice something, and R-19 and Jacob run over like they’ve been guided by your sword’s light. Shennong suggests you guys take down Tezcatlipoca, then asks if you know the expression fight fire with fire. And then the episode ends.