We pick up from last time with Arachne expressing amazement at something so breathtaking being up in the skies of Tokyo. Thunderbird asks her to calm down and reminds her that the area you guys are in is something overlaid on top of Tokyo, so she apologizes for being suddenly surprised when she remembers. Jugo asks if that means he can compare what's in front of you guys to a mirage or a fantasy, so Thunderbird answers that's fine in the general sense. It's probably why the atmospheric pressure feels different.
Magami sniffs around for a bit before telling everyone that he can faintly pick up on the scent, though not well enough to figure out where to go. You wonder which world you guys are in, note that nobody is around, then try calling out and see if anyone responds. A Shadow alchemist turns up in response commenting that you guys seem to be in trouble as he speaks in a way superficially similar to Arachne's, then offers to help you guys out. The party is surprised by the panda suddenly turning up, who turns out is accompanied by the other special element alchemists.
The Shadow alchemist greets you all and mentions you guys have met their friends earlier. Arachne is confused by this as this would be the first time you guys have seen them, so the regular element alchemist mobs from back at the campground turn up over here too to say they're here. They only saw you guys a day ago, but they say you did well to get all the way there.
Tajikarao is surprised to see the mobs there and recognizes them from the camp, but Magami happily greets them back, and the lion alchemist thanks him for being polite. Thunderbird looks suspicious as he talks to himself about them being the weird science team that turned up at the Aoyama campground, and Shiva stands there quietly.
Arachne asks the group why they are here now, so the panda alchemist answers that they go wherever relics are to be found. The lion alchemist starts geeking out over the encrusted matter over a skull and the size of the canines, which the panda points out as proof of how they're all just research maniacs doing science. The giraffe adds that there are lots of fascinating relics to be found in overworld shifts, and the rhino says that the wolf skull is even more interesting, and the group starts pestering Magami to hand it over.
Magami is taken aback and tries to politely turn them down, but the lion tells him to shut up. The panda calls him a colleague and tries to calm him down, saying that getting so emotionally worked up isn't good for thinking logically. The rest of them apologize and mumble as they concede the point, and the panda turns back to you guys and asks you all to pardon his subordinates. Them getting so passionate is the only thing going against them.
Thunderbird prompts the panda to explain what his logical negotiations is supposed to be, so the panda answers he wants to make a logical deal. You ask for further details and if he's saying he wants you guys to hand the wolf skull over. The panda clarifies that he's talking about some other relics, surprising Tajikarao. The alchemists are searching the hanging gardens for something, but with the frequent shifts occurring its location isn't definite. That's where you guys come in, as they're sure a trained police dog's sense of smell can figure it out.
Magami is surprised and says nothing, and the panda goes on assuring you guys they'll stop asking about the wolf skull. It's logical to make an exchange for something of equivalent value! The regular element mobs start to object since they still want the skull, but the panda ignores them and apologizes for his subordinates again. He's the leader with executive fiat, so he says you guys can relax about it. Magami is conflicted, and you either question what's so logical about the suggested deal and if there's a point in handing the skull over before getting cut off, or you keep silent. In the former, there's an extra bit of Tajikarao being the one to cut you off, apologizing and asking that you leave it to him.
Tajikarao turns to Magami and prompts him to decide what to do since it was his decision that brought everyone to this point. Magami tries pleading with him as he calls him both senpai and handler, but Tajikarao insists that a handler isn't supposed to bail him out when he's confused. He isn't looking him in the eye, but he then put his hand on Magami's head and pats him, saying that a handler is in it until the end for the dog. Whatever he picks he'll give his full support, so he sternly tells Magami to make a decision. Magami isn't happy to hear this, and as the thoughts roll around in his head, he picks up on a certain scent.
The panda starts asking Magami if he'll help out, but Magami cuts across him to ask about something. The panda lets him do so, so Magami says he can pick up a faint scent from them that you guys know very well. Specifically, it's the smell of the kemi dango, and he asks why the alchemists smell like it. The panda doesn't give an answer, so Magami starts talking about how he should have picked up on it earlier. He finally noticed when Tajikarao told him to think for himself, and he says that trust is the most important thing if he's going to help. And if the alchemists won't explain themselves, he can't help them.
You react in shock to the mention of kemi dango and remember how they were used to control Mushussu and the wyverns, and the panda sighs about things coming to this point saying logically Magami would have been better off not bringing it up. Mushussu and the wyverns then sweep in, and Shiva is surprised to see him. Jugo says this explains a lot of things now, and Tajikarao says this is all a premeditated crime now that they've shown themselves to have supplied the mobsters and controlled the dragons.
The panda says you guys have misunderstood something and claims that the kemi dango was stolen from them. He also suggests that the wyverns are just there coincidentally, so Thunderbird brings up that the panda originally said you already 'met their friends.' He originally thought he was talking about the other alchemists, but the panda has referred to them as his subordinates. In which case, who did he mean by friends?
The panda doesn't have a response to Thunderbird's question, so Thunderbird says it's time for them to admit they're connected to the thieves. His own artifact can feel their sad dreams of greed of monopolizing something even if it would hurt other people. The panda says that logically thinking, he's got only one option left. He talks about this area, the aerial garden of vanity Hanging Gardens of Babylon, is made atop of a special phenomenon. It's a so-called Enclosed Area covered in clouds that can't be seen from the ground, tied to someone's nostalgia to an image of a hanging garden. What he's getting at is that no one will know what happens here, especially given that there's no core here in this indistinct zone.
Shiva derides the alchemists and says they won't be safe after facing his wrath, which scares the rhino. The giraffe starts looking at the party again as he identifies you all as a police dog, a policeman, a martial artist or something, a fashion designer, and something he can't figure out. The panda tells them to not falter since they have numbers on their side to try and take the wolf skull. They have a secret plan after all since they know the true value of the hanging gardens! He then laughs as he orders the dragons to all attack.
The mobs all move to surround the party, so Shiva tells Jugo to take care of his back and show he can handle what comes After This. Jugo is confused by this and asks for details, so Shiva says the alchemists are right in that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are not just part of the scenery of an overworld shift. What happens after this will be the core of this incident, with dragons surging and everything turning to chaos.
Arachne says you guys should return the wolf skull and says her runway is unstoppable. Thunderbird declares this to be the climax of the incident on his name as a hero. Tajikarao declares it's time to arrest the mobs since this is a crime in action, then orders Magami to go. Magami acknowledges the order and barks like crazy, and the episode battle starts up as you say you won't allow any evildoing, tell the mobs to think about what they did in prison, and/or declare you won't hand the Ancient Wolf skull over. More story happens after that.
The story picks back up with narration. It is said that in the 23 other worlds, the faith of dragons is paired with things that flow. When deluges flood things, sometimes they become threatening things that destroy everything on the land, wash them away, and make them a thing of the past. As such, this Great Flood gets patterned after a giant dragon that everyone comes to fear and respect. Once that dragon opens its mouth, many things get devoured. Sometimes, that includes itself. Wake not the dragon, disturb not the dragon lest a calamity befalls you.
Now, among the 23 worlds is the world of Babel/Babylonia/I don't even know, the world that became the model of many other faiths. There lies what people know as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The water that flows on the ground flows up to the gardens, the paradise in the heavens that stands far above in the sky. This feat is said to have impressed the other worlds starting with Olympus, and it became a prototype of an archetype of the hierarchy that places the heavens above the earth. This would be the faith for the heavens. This concept influenced the other worlds in various ways and took on various shapes, but the Hanging Gardens of Babylon disappeared from history at a certain point in time. It was as if it were devoured by something, and this blank spot of history cannot be explained away even now.
Back to the present we tune in to Mushussu roaring so loudly that it shakes everything in the Hanging Gardens. Shiva yells back before referring to Mushussu as a Divided Body of the dragon from Babylonia Tiamat and mount of the World Representative Marduk. He then asks if his memories have been affected by the garden. Mushussu just roars some more, and Shiva says he is strong, but not as strong as himself.
Arachne says she'll display her tailoring to the alchemists, and she ties the rhino's lab coat together so tightly he whines that he can't move. He's also surprised by how elastic and tough it is, admitting that he's fascinated by it. Arachne says he has a good eye for things and thanks him for seeing the beauty of her new fabric she's made through all her troubles, then asks what the wyverns think of it.
The panda decides on a logical course of action and asks for a moment to say something. His big statement is a complaint at how strong you guys and he can't wrap his mind around this. Thunderbird says he'll take it as a compliment and claims to be a passing hero of justice. The panda is confused at this, and Thunderbird starts talking about how areas in overworld shifts may be deified, so the relics that come from them may be deified as well. He also talks about how there are plenty of people in Tokyo who have to fight alone away from their old emotional supports from their old world. And here Thunderbird is going to take them back from the thieves who would take them away!
Tajikarao tells the alchemists to surrender and talk about their crimes when they get back to the station alongside the thieves. Magami says they can go on digs again if they really pay for their crimes and reform, at which point he'll be happy to help them out. The panda starts having a fit, asking why you guys are stopping them and saying society is always like this. Thunderbird, Tajikarao, and Magami are taken aback at this, as are you by this sudden outburst as you tell the panda to calm down.
The panda continues ranting, saying they tried to apply to dig in overworld shifts through legal means, by their hopes to delve into the deepest secrets of the world get crushed. Whatever findings they do make get stolen, so they can't do their research to any satisfactory end. You ask what the panda means about big secrets or stolen research, and he snorts saying you probably wouldn't understand, though he agrees to tell you anyway.
These researchers are looking into the way the world is structured, and the relics are a clue into figuring it out. He points out that 24 different worlds including Tokyo are all structured the same way, and he wonders why that is. What is the point to there being a hierarchy, faith, powers, and roles? There are also legends of floods set by divine wrath to wash away history in every world, but why is that? In their homeworld, many people have suffered because of such things abusing them. There have even been people who have been driven away, unable to return. The panda declares that Tokyo being a crossroads connected to these worlds has lots of clues to explain why that all is. If they can figure it out, they can probably save the ones exiled from their world. But every time they try to do their work legitimately strange people from places they don't know of take it all away, leaving this their only other option.
Thunderbird asks the alchemists about their business deal with the thieves, then figures out where all the relics that weren't put on the market are going to. The panda admits that they have those relics. They don't care about money or fame, and the panda argues this is also for the benefit of the relics summoned to Tokyo. He turns to Magami for support, which surprises him. The panda talks about how they share the same feelings the displaced skull has regarding its home. He's already aware that the party is trying to return the skull, even the part where Magami is technically committing dereliction of duty to do this. He however argues that returning it to an illusionary world accomplishes nothing, so it'd be better off in their hands so they can try returning more people home. After that they can put the skull back too.
Magami becomes conflicted at this to a personal level, and the moment everyone turns to look at Magami the panda makes a break for it. Tajikarao orders him to chase the panda down since he should be able to catch up, but he's surprised when Magami doesn't move. Meanwhile the panda runs to Mushussu does something to him, prompting Shiva to demand an explanation of what he's doing. The panda says he has the concentrated raw materials of the kemi dango along with an injector, and once he uses it on Mushussu he's making him rampage.
The party is shocked at the plan, and you yell that you guys have to stop him. Jugo tells everyone to hurry, but some alchemists attempt to bodyblock and slow you guys down. Shiva grudgingly commends them for that, and the panda says he's so close to discovering the hanging garden's secrets. He says that since it's a prototype for many Myths, he should be able to find some sort of commonality with a bunch of different worlds. Why is it that so many histories have been devoured and erased? He claims his instinct is telling him the answer is there, so he'll do anything to buy the time he needs to find out. The panda proceeds to activate his doohickey, but he handles it so roughly he screws it up as his other colleagues freak out about how the thing is delicate. The panda then realizes he somehow turned the self-destruct mechanism on it on which counts down, so Thunderbird yells for everyone to get away. Magami is still out of it, which forces Tajikarao to pick him up and carry him.
The panda's tool blows up into a cloud of smoke mixed in with their magic mind control chemical thingy, which coats the mobs as the giraffe goes 'I told you so' at the panda. Arachne starts asking how their subjugation tool actually works, so the giraffe answers that taming living things is a matter of giving them what they want. In this case they're using it like super MSG or other flavor enhancer on flour. Arachne thanks him for answering, then asks what that means in more concrete terms. Mushussu starts ambling over to the mobs like he's spotted some really nice food, and they in turn freak out and attempt to talk Mushussu out of eating them. The panda screams as he fails, and he still takes a moment to say how fascinating the inside of Mushussu's mouth is and about science before yelling in general.
The party is shocked by what happened, and you note how awful that was. Thunderbird says that even if this is retribution for their misdeeds, what happened to the panda is still pretty ghastly. Tajikarao says this is worse than anything Daikoku could do and can't bring himself to look. Jugo tries to get the party to actually intervene and save the panda, and Shiva just sighs to himself.
Some time later, the party makes Mushussu spit out the mobs and has them all tied up. Shiva tells him to stop licking the mobs, but then he notes that Mushussu likes to eat Marduk so that may not mean much. Mushussu just does the confused dog bit as he continues licking the mobs, which Arachne says is cute after the whole swallowing people thing. Shiva says Mushussu is his acquaintance's mount, then suggests bringing him back to him. Thunderbird thanks everyone for their help, saying now that things are dealt with he can see the way back. Tajikarao says that the kemidango has been confiscated, so the other wyverns have quieted down. Jugo says the thieves have been apprehended, so all that's left is the skull as he turns towards Magami.
Magami is looking sad, prompting Tajikarao to walk over and ask him what's wrong. He doesn't respond, so you try to prompt him to talk to you guys. He starts admitting that he doesn't know what to do anymore, surprising Tajikarao to ask him to elaborate. The whole party looks at Magami as his ears and tail hang, and Magami starts talking about how he came here to return the Ancient Wolf skull. But now that he's here he's questioning whether he was doing the right thing in the end. He does think that the alchemists and thieves have done crimes when they joined together, but then he learned of something as he flashes back to what the thieves said about remembering things back at the other camp.
When the mobster touched Magami, Magami found out that they all wanted to go home. The alchemists are the same way, and nothing they said was a lie. They really did want to send people home and go back themselves, so maybe their joining up with the thieves was the right thing to do after all. The mobs don't say anything, and Magami says he's lost now and wonders what really is the right thing to be doing.
An image of a young wolf cub floats up into Magami's mind, and the sky island starts shaking afterwards. Jugo is surprised by this and asks if it's a quake or something. Thunderbird points out that the island is floating, so it's not a quake but the island itself shaking. Shiva is surprised as he says the island is pulsing and the flow of water from the ground to the sky is reversing. Magami doesn't pay any attention to this as he pleads for Tajikarao for an answer, then starts seizing up apparently. Tajikarao tries to ask him what's wrong, then yelling for him to get a hold of himself. Arachne says the shaking is getting stronger and tries telling Tajikarao to go, but then she notices something wrong with Magami. Magami then starts groaning about his head hurting like it's splitting.
The area starts warping, but you ignore that for the moment to try talking to Magami, asking if he's okay and suggesting he leave with you guys to talk later. Shiva then notices something and tells everyone to get away from Magami as he calls him 'that thing,' shocking the rest of the party. Magami transforms into a white robed form, then declares that his role is to send things back to where they originally came from, which is something he has to do. If he can't do so, then he declares that 'the world is wrong.' And in that case, he'll devour all the memories of that mistaken world and return it into its original working order. That is what his power to devour things is made for.
Tajikarao is surprised by what's happening and calls Magami's name. Magami actually responds, but he sounds different than he does before as he formally declares himself to be Oguchi Magami. Jugo is surprised when he notices the Hanging Gardens are transforming, and it is doing so as the prototypical model is filled with faith from elsewhere. This also has the effect of causing Jugo pain as his Mizuchi curse starts activating all of a sudden, with marks surfacing to his skin stronger than it had before. This is compared to it regaining energy in returning to the world it was born in. Tajikarao is taken aback as he recognizes the scenery as being from his homeworld, and the episode ends with Magami declares himself the devourer of evil that would stain the world.
Thanks for the translation
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