Terza Cantica: Paraíso (Ending)

...Everything is going exactly as we planned.

Our two ninja are the key. Paraíso and Danzo have both done their jobs well.

The groundwork for Onriedo is now as good as laid. Hehehe.

Soon, the glory of Lucifer, the great Satan himself, will be known far and wide, and Onriedo will stand tall upon this ground!

Not only is fear spreading throughout Shimousa...but the great pentagram being drawn in secret via Jesuit sorcery is about to be completed as well.

Correct. The Lord Sorcerer has treaded the path of chaos and carnage to attain these secret mystical arts.

It is through these arts that Heroic Spirits and karma were fused together to produce the Curse of Annihilation.

We Heroic Spirit Swordmasters kill and slaughter. We will consume the world itself.

If I could speak without fear of being misunderstood, I would say that we Heroic Spirit Swordmasters are beings designed expressly for the destruction of humanity.

We sow death merely by existing. With a single breath, we spread curses.

This means Lord Satan himself has seen fit to bestow his protection upon us! Now, it is only a matter of time until our Lord Sorcerer's wish is granted!

What a hassle. Why do we not simply cut them all down at once?

There is little difference between humans and straw. All that sets them apart is that humans bundle themselves together of their own accord and call it society.

Now now, Saber of Empireo, patience. There are no shortcuts to success.

Much like a curse, our goal must be realized as though we are slowly choking our enemy with a silk cord.

Slowly, painstakingly, without mercy. Roughly, brutally, without mercy.

I see you lot are once again focused on truly morbid topics. I have been here several nights now, and yet I still cannot stomach your favored subjects.

Not a single one of you appreciates this beautiful moon. Unfathomable. I cannot see how the Lord Sorcerer's supposed to relax like this.

What do you want, cretin?

Hmm...

Grant me a bit of leeway, I am merely making conversation. I also brought the Lord Sorcerer with me.

Indeed.

Go forth and kill, my Heroic Spirit Swordmasters. As the dawning sun brings an end to the night, you shall bring an end to this world of false peace.

Vengeful souls of those you have killed and harvested... Souls dripping with magical energy upon your own deaths...

They are all valuable. They will all serve as the foundations for my ambition, and help create Onriedo in Shimousa so very soon.

Paraíso has done an excellent job. The humans' hearts have been tainted with fear and dread, and have gained a hue fitting for their final days.

Now, forty-odd samurai have been slaughtered within the castle... There may not be many dead, but they will still serve to terrorize the populace.

It is as you desired.

All that remains...is to grant Paraíso a leave of absence.

A leave? May I ask why?

There is nothing more to say than what I have already said.

...Fuuma Kotarou.

I knew to be wary of Musashi and the Master of Chaldea, but I didn't expect that little whelp to be so strong.

What a careless blunder on my part.

Ngh...

...Stupid brat, thinking he knows better than me. I'll make sure to kill him next time.

My my. Running away in defeat? Pitiful.

...Saṃghāta Hell.

That's right. And yes, it's really me, not a hallucination. So there's no need to be so scared.

... ...

Don't be ridiculous. I've never been scared of you. I am Paraíso. I am a Heroic Spirit Swordmaster, the Assassin of Paraíso.

I use my blades to cut, sever, and rob people of their lives. I am the hollow vessel of a Heroic Spirit who has long since ceased to think for herself.

My sword is might, and my might a sword. That is why I am a Heroic Spirit Swordmaster despite being a ninja.

Surely it is no different for you, Saṃghāta Hell, since you are an oni who has in turn become a blade.

Well, you're not wrong.

But in your case, you just can't seem to make the hard decisions, can you?

That's why I'm sorry I have to do this.

...! Wh-what are you doing!?

A Heroic Spirit Swordmaster's Spirit Core isn't connected to either heart or brain, right? That much is clear.

But, our brains and hearts still play important roles, even for our ether bodies.

So I'm going to try connecting yours...

...to the power of the god from Mt. Ibuki that inhabits my flesh and blood.

I think you might know it as "Orochi"?

S...

Stop!

P-please! Anything but that!

Forgive me! I'm begging you! If you do that, I... I won't be myself anymore... I'll disappear...!

A-AAAAHHHH! AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

It's there, it's there, stop it, stop it, it hurts, it hurts, it's gross, it hurts, it's groooss!

Kill me! Kill meee!

This isn't me, this isn't me, this isn't me!!! This isn't what I accepted...!

...Aaah.

I really am sorry. I didn't want to do things this way.

But the Lord Sorcerer said that Shinmen Musashi and the boy from Chaldea keep getting in our way, and they need to be taken care of immediately.

Well, see you later. I'll apologize to you in hell.

Keep your eyes peeled at all times. Do not let your guard down even for an instant! Remember, this villain could strike again even in the light of day!

Yes sir! You hear that, men!? Keep your eyes peeled, and stay alert!

They sure do like to keep busy, don't they. It's been less than a day since Paraíso came here; I don't think she'll be back again that soon.

Oh well, I guess there's no harm in keeping security tight. That might help put the princess at ease too.

Honestly, not really any good memories of defending a besieged castle. I mean, those battles kinda wear on you.

？！

Wouldn't it be great if they were just all, "I shall await you at 'insert secret base location here'! MWA HA HA!" and then we could just find them!

I'm sure she'll be back. ...At least, I feel like she will be.

She's a ninja. Even if she has transformed into a Heroic Spirit Swordmaster, she will still do whatever it takes to carry out her master's commands.

And she hasn't done that yet.

Exactly. Paraíso will do whatever it takes to try and kill her... I can feel it.

Yes, Master!

？！

Hmm, I'm glad to see you are all taking this seriously. With one exception.

Oh, stuff it. If there's a problem here, it's more how you're trying to save face with the guards, jerk!

Last night your samurai were all so bewildered by the assassin's snake techniques that they never even showed.

...Though to be fair, I ended up getting here late after running into some trouble myself.

True, I underestimated the threat. ...A grave error on my part.

While we were slow to act given how large our numbers were, keeping our numbers small would be an invitation for the monsters to quickly adapt their strategy.

In which case, we must be able to respond in turn, until we get a better sense of the battlefield.

Whatever you say.

It's a good plan, stationing chains of command near Lady Kiyohime and keeping them safe.

...However, even the old guy didn't consider for a moment how the princess would react to losing her retainers.

Indeed. Having her sleep out here in this wide-open space, and making sure it's heavily guarded...

It may be an airtight plan as far as strategies go, but...

As do I. I suppose it's all right now that she's asleep, but how will she feel when she wakes up?

I guess so, since there isn't much they can do if that Heroic Spirit Swordmaster does show up again.

The only ones who can handle her are probably me, Kotarou, Fujimaru, and old man Tajima.

Of course, who knows if he's still got the guts to use his Otomeryu and that sword of his.

？！

...Shinmen Musashi.

Yes? Did you hear what I said, old man?

This is no time for nonsense. Can you not feel that evil aura? ...The villain has returned.

Huh? ...Oh, man, you're right!

You really are a top-notch swordmaster, sensing that before I did! Fujimaru, stay by the princess!

...Well well. Here we are again.

I see you've arranged quite the welcome for me. I must have made an impression.

Are you using the princess as bait to lure me out? Hmm, no, you must have chosen this place to keep her safe.

How very rational. Even I wouldn't have thought that far ahead.

If I were in your place, I would have dragged her into the bowels of the castle and called it a day.

But you, you chose to drag a sleeping woman out of her quarters and place her under heavy guard right out in the open. Well done. Truly, well done.

I commend you!

I commend you all. You've done well to band together in order to kill a single woman born to a ninja family.

This will make it even easier to kill you all at once! Hehe, heh heh, heehee, heeheeheeheeheehee!

...!?

...Ahem, pardon me. I am the Assassin of Paraíso, and I have returned to finish our fight.

Now come, and I shall bite off all of your heads!

!

I can sense her sword ki...no, her magical energy growing at an explosive rate! I'm not sure, but it looks as though her Spirit Origin has gone berserk!

Is this sort of physical and mental transformation innate to all Heroic Spirit Swordmasters or...could it be...!?

？！

I don't suppose we can go and hide her somewhere deep inside the castle now, can we!?

Afraid not. Part of me would love to do the same thing, but the fact is, she's safest if she stays with us!

...Ridiculous.

...There is no longer anywhere safe for you to hide from me. You will die here, terrified and filled with regret.

Come forth! You who has borne a grudge against my bloodline, and haunted me all my life. Come forth, and devour all without mercy!

It's distorting the air itself!

What the hell is that snake? It's so giant it looks like it could swallow a horse whole! What're you thinking, summoning a creature that huge indoors!?

This is Orochi...the kin of my curse!

It may be a pale imitation of the original, as it is created from the power of but one head, but it is still a fragment of a great god!

Go ahead! Just try to defeat it!

You can bet I will! All I need is one good strike! Fujimaru!

？！

Excellent! I knew I could count on you, Fujimaru! Once this is all over, I'll have to treat you to a tasty bowl of udon!

...Here they come!

Its attacks may be frighteningly strong...

But they also leave it wide-open!

Now's our chance! Everyone, you're up! Bring hell to this world... Immortal Chaos Brigade!

So, you have vanquished the serpent. I daresay it took you long enough.

Not one damn word! Not like you lifted a finger to help!

Granted, you did do an excellent job of leading your men against the other monsters!

But don't you think it's about time you got serious and actually CONTRIBUTED!?

High and mighty Otomeryu or not, the fact that you're STILL refusing to draw your sword is GETTING OLD!

Do not lower your guard. This isn't over yet.

I haven't lowered anything! You think I don't know this isn't over!?

...Hehe. Heehee. I've got you now.

You let your guard down when you killed my serpent! I've definitely got you now...Master of Chaldea!

？！

... ...

P-please, r-run away, Lord Fujimaru... You mustn't... I don't...

O-oh no... This...this is bad. I... I...

Princess?

I, I, I, I-I-I-I-I...

...I'm going to kill you.

？！

Fujimaru!!!

...I'm going to kill you.

Master!!!

Master... Thank goodness...you're okay...

？！

Kotarou, are you still alive!? I can't look away from Paraíso to check!

...I'm fine. My Spirit Core is intact... I can still stand...

Never mind me! We have to snap Lady Kiyohime out of whatever this is!

？！

Can I...tell you all...a story...?

Some time ago, I...I destroyed a serpent's nest...

I didn't mean to. I knew serpents were living creatures...

And yet...

I still completely destroyed their nest...

...They were just eggs. Such tiny things, just struggling to be born. And I...

...Why did I ever do such a horrible thing? I...I have regretted it ever since...

And yet, they have never forgiven me. The serpents...they keep coming towards my body... Look! Look...!

Even now...they come...

？！

...

You're kidding me! It came back to life after being reduced to ash!? Is that a Saigyou revival technique!?

Hehehe. A good strategy is always at least two steps ahead of the opposition, Shinmen Musashi!

Now, go on, princess. The snakes still have yet to forgive you. Just look at how many of their children are here.

You have no choice! Kill all these people! Kill them all! Only then will the snakes forgive you!

Then, I will kill you myself, so you can finally be at peace. Now go, and lay waste to everything with your fire!

...Yes. That...sounds good...

？！

Those two kunai Paraíso threw at her last night... What if they were a feint, and her real objective was...!?

You mean she put Kiyohime under a spell!? Ugh, I hate magic duels. I have no knowledge of it whatsoever!

Ah, good job! You figured it out! Now come, Kiyohime, and atone for your sins!

Yes... I will atone...

We've defeated the monster!

？！

...Ahh, the poor serpent has died.

I knew it; I will never be forgiven. It's all my fault for venturing into that mountain.

I wish I'd never gone to Mt. Ibuki. Even if I was in a hurry...even if I had a good reason to be there...

I should never have intruded upon a mountain that belonged to a god... I broke a law that should never be broken...

...Huh? ...Um.

...Did I really do something like that?

I've never been to Mt. Ibuki. And yet, I remember it as though I had. Also the snakes. I...

I...

I see. So that's how it is...

It wasn't me that did this. It was a distant ancestor... And his sin...

His sin was...engraved...in my blood... Yes, my blood. It's all my blood's fault!

My ancestor's curse has tainted my blood!

It's consuming me...violating me...melting me into a pile of sludge!

？！

...I won't ask for your forgiveness...nor for your pity.

All I want from you... The only thing I ask...is for you to lay down your lives!

I have to kill you! I have to! I need to do whatever it takes...for the gods to forgive me...!

...Once you are all dead...they'll finally let me go free!

What are you saying...!? Master, she's still not herself!

I don't think we'll be able to talk her out of this. We have to knock her out with a blow to a vital point!

Wait. Hold it, Kotarou.

Lady Musashi?

？！

Right. She would never say something like that. Just yesterday, she told me about how well she got along with snakes. How she saved one once.

I don't know how you're doing it, Paraíso...but you're connected to her somehow.

That's why you're putting those words in her mouth! They aren't Kiyohime's words!

They're yours...Mochizuki Chiyome!

...!!!

Ah...

Princess! ...She's still breathing. Did she just pass out...?

I've heard of the curse of Kouga Saburou. He was a man born in Oumi Kouga who went on to become its lord.

One day, his wife went hunting on Mt. Ibuki, and she never returned.

So Saburou went to the mountain and descended into the depths of the earth to search for her.

After a long journey wandering the underworld realms, he finally returned to the surface...

...transformed into a snake.

... ...

I know that legend too. Indeed, Mt. Ibuki is famous for its great and terrible god...

Yamata-no-Orochi, or Ooe Daimyojin. The most famous serpent god in all of Japan.

With Saburou wandering around his territory for days on end, it would have been easy for Orochi to curse him.

Of course, the legend also says that Saburou was healed by a wandering monk, and lived happily ever after.

But, you're a woman. And I highly doubt you're Saburou himself.

After all, this country isn't yet enlightened enough to have a woman be the founder of one of its prominent clans.

But, there's one Kouga ninja clan that's said to still carry Saburou's blood.

And as I recall that clan, the Kouga Mochizuki family...produced one famous female ninja.

？！

Mochizuki Chiyome. The woman who served the Tiger of Kai, Takeda Shingen, during the Warring States period as a spy.

I had heard you were either a kunoichi or a shrine maiden, but I had no idea you also carried Kouga Saburou's curse!

...Heh, hehe. So, you've seen right through me! Indeed, I am Chiyome, of the Kouga Mochizuki clan!

What will you do now, Shinmen Musashi!? My cursed blood has manifested Orochi himself! You cannot hope to defeat him!

Indeed, there is nothing more you can even say!

You can't do anything about it. I couldn't do anything about it! Not even becoming a Heroic Spirit Swordmaster, let alone a Heroic Spirit, was enough...

The curse still haunts me. It refuses to let me go!

Curse of Annihilation? All well and good. Onriedo? All well and good.

All that matters to me is to see my lord's command done. That is what it means to be a ninja...to be a Kouga.

...And yet, it still won't let me go.

Even as a woman, or a wife, or a ninja, or a Heroic Spirit, or as a curse made flesh...!

Nobody will forgive me... No, not even that!

Not a single person will punish me!

This curse is proof of my sin! The serpent is my sin made manifest!

And yet...neither my father, nor my husband, nor Lord Takeda, nor the Lord Sorcerer...

None of them will punish me! What am I supposed to do!?

I thought I could escape if I devoted myself to the way of the ninja! But I couldn't escape it. I had to live with this curse right up to the day I died!

Then I thought I could escape if I gave myself over to karma! But, I still can't get away...

Tell me! ...What else can I possibly do...!?

I don't know what to tell you. I have no idea what sort of pain you've been through.

All I can do is answer you with my blade.

Heh. I see. I suppose you're right. My whole body is a blade. Even as a ninja, I was a blade without a heart!

Shinmen Musashi! In the name of Lucifer, the great Satan himself, we shall do battle!

Come forth, my blood-soaked frontier! This mountain of bodies and river of blood shall serve as the stage for our battle, and consume the loser's soul upon their defeat!

My blade's Cursed Name is Assassin of Paraíso! The True Name of my vessel: Mochizuki Chiyome!

Prepare yourself, Shinmen Musashi! Our final battle is upon us!

...Let's do this!

...Ahh. At last...

I can be...at peace...

？！

...I win, Assassin of Paraíso.

Farewell. I hope that in your next life, you will meet someone who will persuade you that your doubt, and all your tears, are punishment enough.

I see the night's returning to normal. And that bloodred moon has gone away again.

Well done, Master. I have word from the castle doctor that the princess is safe and well.

She was so exhausted both mentally and physically that she quickly fell asleep, but she should have no issue waking up tomorrow.

？！

Oh, these? Yes, they're the kunai that Paraíso used.

I think she must have procured them here in Shimousa. They stayed around even after she disappeared.

I wouldn't exactly call them a trophy... I just found myself compelled to take them.

I don't see the harm in that. We can give them back once we find that evil sorcerer guy.

Paraíso said something about Onriedo, right? I think in Buddhism, that word means

Distancing yourself from this impure world and its earthly desires, as I recall.

That actually sounds kind of nice in theory, but I definitely don't like the way they handle it in practice.

And I really don't like how they just went around villages, either...

And as long as we're on the subject, I'm seriously pissed off about how they're using Heroic Spirits as hollow vessels and trampling all over their pride.

As if Lord Inshun wasn't bad enough, they did the same thing to Tomoe Gozen and Mochizuki Chiyome.

I won't say we have to avenge them, but I think it's at least worth returning those kunai to the sorcerer in a way he can't possibly enjoy. Say, shoving them where the sun don't shine, y'know?

...What do you say, Kotarou? Fujimaru?

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Agreed!