Quarta Cantica: Kālasūtra Hell (Middle)

(Sigh)...

...There is no point wondering about whether to kill them or not. All we need to do is do what our Curse of Annihilation tells us.

What did Caster tell us again anyway?

He told us to go after the little kids, right? So that's what we did.

Well, whatever. One hostage, two hostages, it's all the same to me.

So let's go ahead and kill 'em.

Ah... Ah...

...Are you going to kill me...? Am I going to die like Mom and Dad...?

Well, well. I thought you'd be bawling your head off, but you're really keeping it together. What a good big sister you are, Onui.

Hey, it's not like I want to do this either, okay? This is just more efficient.

You heard that scary lady over there mumbling to herself, right? Killing you two is the best option we've got.

...Please...

Hm? What's that?

Please, don't kill Tasuke... He's still just a baby...

And Grandpa said...babies should never have to die...

...Please...

Sorry, but it's out of my hands. You get that, right?

Besides, this whole world's nothing but a dream. So, why not do whatever we like?

If it makes you feel any better, you can pretend that the oni in the mountains who's about to eat you is just another bad dream.

Anyway, no time like the present. Besides, you two really do look good enough to eat.

...Hm?

What's with the sword, Kālasūtra Hell? You almost cut my head off.

If you so much as try eating a child in front of me, I will take your head myself.

Wait, what? I never heard anything about that!

Well now you have. So take your hand off her shoulders and put your claws away.

...I swear, you're way more out of your mind than me in my berserk state.

Where do you even get off calling yourself a Rider? You killed your Noble Phantasm horse without a second thought.

You said you didn't need it because it wasn't embedded with your Curse of Annihilation.

And yet here you are, still calling yourself a Rider. How does that make sense, I ask you!

But fine, fine. Claws are gone now, see? Sorry for hurting you, little Onui. Looks like we'll have to take a rain check on mealtime.

Huh...? Wh-what's going on...?

Are you going to kill me...or not...?

Of course I won't kill you. I would never kill a child. Nor could I ever let one die in front of me.

You're hurt, and your life is in danger, yet you're being so brave...

Ahh, what a precious little girl you are.

You're just like...

Just like...

Why, you're just like me. Look at you, doing your very best to keep your little brother safe.

H-huh...? What do you mean...?

I'm sorry!

I'm so sorry for how we treated you. But...I won't ask for your forgiveness. I couldn't.

We're broken inside. We were broken the moment we had our Curses implanted in us.

It's like we're already dead. Now that our Spirit Origins have been shattered and rebuilt, we've become machines called Heroic Spirit Swordmasters.

We're broken. All of us. And there's no way we can be fixed.

That's why, sometimes...we say things we don't really mean.

Is that what you really think?

Poor little oni child. Poor little warrior. Your human self was broken a long time ago...

You can't blame it all on your karma; that's just one more log on the fire, right, Minamoto-no-Raikou?

Didn't you JUST say we don't have a moment to waste!?

How is now a good time to forge a new katana!? Get a hold of yourself, Grandpa!

We don't have time for the whole "so blinded by rage you've lost sight of reality" thing!

？！

I-I'm sorry, Master. Lord Muramasa said he was going to get ready, but as soon as he came back to the hermitage, he lit a fire in his forge...

So Lord Muramasa is a graduate of the Muramasa school of smithing... That is why he forges like a man possessed...

He's a Servant whoI-I mean, never mind!

All of you, shut up and get ready to leave. I ain't senile, dammit. I know exactly what I'm doing.

I'm doing this to keep a level head.

Now quit gawking and go get ready. Don't make me say it again.

Once you're all ready to go, we'll be leaving right away. Got that?

？！

Well, it's fairly tall, but we should still be able to reach the top in two hours.

Anyway, once we get there, we'll be facing off against those two again.

Can you handle that, Fujimaru and Kotarou?

If you don't think you can fight them because they look like people you know, then you should stay behind. I can deal with them on my own if I have to.

I see... That's good to hear.

？！

Then, would you mind if I said something? I don't know how much consolation it'll be, but I have some thoughts I'd like to share.

I don't think we should think of the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters as their actual Heroic Spirits.

I know we haven't taken the time to make sure we're on the same page about this, so I want to be clear: they're nothing more than walking corpses.

I was convinced of that when we fought Lord Inshun. I think you should accept that too, if you can.

Especially now that you're going up against ones you know personally.

...Of course, I know that's easier said than done.

True... They do look and sound just like the Heroic Spirits we know...

But they're still completely different people. Master, I believe Lady Musashi is right.

Besides, Heroic Spirits are essentially different people every time they are summoned as Servants anyway.

Even if they retain their memories of the other times they've been summoned.

There is no Heroic Spirit who is exactly the same person every time they are summoned. Rather, they're the same person, but one who is as different as possible.

Maybe it would be more accurate to say that they are a completely different person who very closely resembles them each time.

？！

The dead don't come back to life. And they shouldn't.

But the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters... Well, as Lady Musashi said, they are corpses. In essence, they ARE the dead come back to life.

They are beings born from dead Servants. From what I've been told about Lord Houzouin Inshun...

...it sounds like becoming a Swordmaster changes everything about them, not just their personalities.

So it is not like the principle that makes every Heroic Spirit essentially a different version of the same person.

They may be close to the Servants you saw in Shinjuku, at least in the sense that their Spirit Origins differ from their natural state...

But that was a phenomenon specific to Shinjuku, so...

... ...

...Lady Onui, Lord Tasuke, I...

Hm? Did you say something, Danzo?

Oh, no, I'm sorry. This would be difficult for you to understand. Please, pay that no mind.

Anyway... I know it's hard. But we can't give up now.

...!

R-right. I will help too.

Lord Tajima-no-Kami told me to assist you should the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters appear.

So I shall push my performance limiters to their maximum...because I wish to protect those two children.

N-not at all.

No...it's nothing. Please don't concern yourself.

？！

...All right. Both my iron and me have cooled down. You all talk too much.

Now quit wasting time and go get ready! The sun will be up before you know it!

You were right, Lord Muramasa. By my estimation, cutting through this bamboo forest should make for a good shortcut.

Please try to make do just a little longer, Master. If you like, I could carry you on my back.

Don't bother. Have you even managed to peek through that mop of hair of yours and LOOK at your Master?

The kid's lower body's got plenty of muscle to spare.

You must've done a lot of walking. Not for exercise...but for survival.

？！

That's right. Understand your capabilities. Times like these, you want your companions to be full of confidence.

Good point. I don't know just how much he's been walking, but the fact that he crossed an entire continent means he is definitely no slouch.

Of course, I'm not half bad either, since I'm a pretty seasoned traveler!

Shut up, cow-legs. I wasn't talking to you.

Wha...!? Where'd that come from, Grandpa!? Come on, can't you be nice and treat me like one of your grandkids too?

I've got my hands plenty full with two grandkids already. I need a third like I need a hole in my head.

...I see you're back.

I went on to scout ahead.

I detected a small number of monsters ahead. We could go around them, but that would cost us a great deal of time.

...I see. Then we have no choice but to go through them. Lord Muramasa, Lady Musashi, IHuh? They're both already gone!

？！

Got it, Master. Come, Lady Danzo, you too!

Understood!

...The obstacles have been eliminated. Let's keep going; we should reach the mountain pass soon.

I know this place like the back of my hand. I'll lead the way.

...Everyone, there is something I would like to discuss.

What is it? Can you tell us while we walk?

？！

Lord Tajima has told me a few things about Servants, but I still do not know much about them. However...

They sound as though they are dead people returned to life. So then, what is the difference between Heroic Spirit Swordmasters and Heroic Spirits?

According to what you have said, it sounds as though they are both more than that.

Heroic Spirits are heroes who left a significant mark on human history, and Servants are their shadows.

These Servants far exceed the capabilities of ordinary people, and many are exceptionally powerful warriors.

For example, a single Servant joining a battle could lead anyone to victory against an entire army.

A whole army... That sounds just like the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters who burned down Hitachi and wiped out Sagami.

True. That's because the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters are Servants that have been twisted to do evil.

I...see...?

...I-in fact, I'm a Servant myself. Oh, but I'm not a Heroic Spirit Swordmaster!

I see.

Y-yes, that's right.

...I see... I did not know that...

I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I couldn't think of a good way to broach the subject, so...

(Whoa, look at those two having a moment! This is hardly the time or the place, but I can't take my eyes off them!)

？！

As for Saṃghāta Hell and Kālasūtra Hell... They're Servants who ended up becoming Heroic Spirit Swordmasters.

They may once have been Shuten-Douji and Minamoto-no-Raikou, but whatever they were in life, they are now Heroic Spirit Swordmasters, and have become the vicious creatures we saw for ourselves.

At least, that's my best guess based on everything we know so far.

...?

However, in their particular case, there is something else. It's...um...

I hesitate to bring this up, but I think it's important that we all be aware of it. That goes for you too, Master.

Before Shuten-Douji and Minamoto-no-Raikou were Heroic Spirits, they were oni.

？！

Right. Shuten-Douji may be more overtly oni than Raikou, but oni blood still runs through both of their veins.

And we can't deny the possibility that this may be affecting how they are as Heroic Spirit Swordmasters.

Oni...you say?

And as for me

Come to think of it, Tomoe Gozen seemed like she was using some oni power as well.

I'll say. I've never seen anyone use a bow like that before. It was downright terrifying.

Yeah. I'd love to meet her again some day, without any animosity between us.

？！

Anyway, oni, huh... I've had run-ins with oni before too.

There were a bunch around when Fujimaru and I first met, of course, but that was far from the only time.

So I've got a few thoughts of my own based on my experiences, if you'd like to hear them.

Basically...there are many different types of oni.

First: creatures outside the domain of humans, the uncivilized and untamable.

Second: the descendants of abominations that possess power outside of what is categorically within human capacity.

And third: beings whose hatred of this world was so intense that it gave them corporeal form and could never be pacified.

...Some were even born like that because of how they were portrayed in stories.

So there are oni that live outside humans' domain, oni that possess supernatural power, and oni that come from stories.

Right. Now, let's go back to the Heroic Spirits.

It may not mean much, but I happened to notice something they have in common. I guess you can think of this as a kind of thought experiment?

Something they have in common?

By definition, Heroic Spirits are heroes, right? And it's not like just any samurai who made a name for himself on the battlefield can become one, right?

Some of them are people who, say, rebelled against a cruel feudal lord to save others, right?

？！

What's more, they can do a lot more than any human. It may not be true for all of them, but most Heroic Spirits are really strong, right?

Right. Just the fact that their bodies aren't harmed by ordinary attacks makes them exceptionally dangerous.

In which case, the first two kinds of oni I mentioned above half-apply to Heroic Spirits too.

Some Heroic Spirits are unbound by human mores, and some far exceed human capabilities.

As for the third kind...

...I see what you mean. You're right; that might not be too different either.

Some Heroic Spirits are born from concepts and stories...

And some are summoned as Servants who have been transformed into monsters by the effects of those concepts and stories.

Right. And isn't that kind of what this current situation feels like?

Um... I'm afraid I no longer follow you...

Are you saying that oni and Heroic Spirits are the same thing, Lady Musashi?

Not the same, Lady Danzo. Lady Musashi is simply saying that there are similarities.

Similarities...?

Right. They're very similar, but only at a superficial level. At their heart, they're fundamentally different.

The major difference between heroes and oni is the fact that oni-kind can never coexist with humans.

At heart, oni are twisted, warped creatures. They could smile one moment, and devour someone they love the next.

Everything about them can change in an instant.

A complete and total inversion...like it was nothing.

Sorry to interrupt you, Musashi, but that third kind of oni has shown up.

Take a look. It's almost like you invited the thing here.

Is that a great dark oni!?

？！

Th-this is just one of those "speak of the devil" things, okay? I didn't invite it here!

Lady Musashi ran off ahead! I'm going to join her!

？！

...Understood. Then I shall help you to slaughter this oni as well.

Hostile eliminated! ...Phew. It was tough, but we managed.

Does this mean that the heroes have won, and defeated the oni? I'm afraid I still don't fully understand.

Oh, sorry if I confused you. I was just saying whatever came to mind. Don't dwell on it too much.

Still, in the end: it doesn't really matter if you're a Heroic Spirit or an oni!

？！

No, it doesn't. I may have plenty of opinions to share, but I still don't even know who I am!

I've been to many different worlds, fought opponents with the same name countless times...

...and written something called the Book of Five Rings. But for all of that, I don't even know my own hometown.

...If I'm being perfectly honest, I died back when I first wandered into a different world.

I'm not the same person I was back then... I may even just be a ghost claiming to be Miyamoto Musashi.

But even if I don't know who I am, there's one thing I can say for sure: at the very least, I'm no oni!

And that's just as true for oni, too. Even if they don't know who they are, they can say this much for sure:

"I am an oni. I'm a beast and I live my life accordingly."

As long as you know that about yourself, that's all that matters. Even if you don't know who you really are...

...or even if you've long since forgotten who you once were.

As long as I decide how I want to live, and act accordingly, then I'm me!

And I won't let anyone criticize me for that! Or, well, at least I'm not gonna criticize me for it right now!

I guess what I'm trying to say is: right now, I'm someone who's here to fight bad guys with all of you.

What about you, Fujimaru?

？！

You got it. It doesn't matter who your family was, or where you came from. All that matters is what you want to do, and what you actually do!

So cheer up, Kotarou! Be honest: you felt bad for a moment earlier because you thought you were an oni just like them, didn't you!?

Ulp.

Is that true, Lord Kotarou...?

As far as Fujimaru and I are concerned, Kotarou, the fact that you're trying to save Onui and Tasuke makes you awesome.

You're like a hero of justice straight out of a fairy tale. I've got a big soft spot for people like that.

Me, I'm an underhanded coward who will do whatever it takes to win.

I can't stand people who go around preaching justice, but I love people who try their best to do the right thing!

So hold your head high, Lord Kotarou. As long as you want to help others, I'll want to help you.

A-ahh... Well, if Lady Musashi, one of the greatest heroes of all time, thinks that highly of me...

...I suppose I have no choice but to rally myself and fight!

Wait. Really? Is that how I went down in your history books!?

... ...

What you want to do, and what you actually do...

In that case...what am I?

What...AM I...?

... ...

...A ninja without a soul is nothing more than a hollow blade....

Good, we finally made it to the trail.

From here, we could reach the peak in an hour if we hurry without stopping, but then we would be too tired to fight, so we won't be doing that.

So we hurry, but we also take breaks when we need to. No pushing ourselves too hard, and no getting exhausted.

？！

As they say, even heaps of dust make a mountain in time. We need to hurry, but push yourself too much, and all of a sudden, you can go no further.

And if that ends up taking you out of commission just when it really counts, you'd never be able to forgive yourself.

So if you start to get so tired that you feel it in your knees, take a break. We still have a long way ahead of us.

In that case, why don't I carry him? I may not look like it, but I am capable of carrying almost a ton.

That much...?

I mean, that's amazing, but I'm afraid it would be too risky.

If you happened to drop him for any reason while we were running at our top speed, he could be seriously injured, or worse. Especially since this isn't exactly the safest path.

Indeed. There's no telling when we might run into more monsters, so we need to proceed with caution.

Then it's settled. Let's go.

You're a weird, motley bunch, that's for sure. I guess the age of war really is over...

I know there ain't a ton of people living decent lives out there, but...

There's somethin' about you that's more than just passing strange, Fujimaru.

？！

...I don't remember what my grandkids looked like anymore.

It was a terrible time to be alive back then. For most people, it took everything they had just to stay alive.

All the samurai cared about was conquering other provinces, so there was no end of war on this tiny island.

Every now and then we'd get a great leader, but they'd always die well before their time, and there was no guarantee that their successor would worth a damn.

And if a powerful province came and invaded us, our feudal lords inevitably proved all but useless.

In order to fight a war, you need money, food, and manpower. It wasn't enough that our lords would demand we hand over our money. They also demanded our lives.

Working the rice fields was hard enough, but they came in and drafted all the young farmers for the army...

...then all of the fields were neglected. In the worst case, those farmers would even get killed in battle.

On top of that, whenever a battle broke out near a village, soldiers would invade it and take everything from food to women.

For most people in times of war...life is hell.

...That's true. Japan's Warring States period was a truly horrifying time to be alive.

There was no god or Buddha to be found then. Maybe there was something worth caring about if you looked hard enough, but I never found it.

Nor did I ever see any god or Buddha feeding starving children after a war came to an end.

Put another way, the blades of that time were too strong. They offered neither salvation nor forgiveness.

Back then, it seemed like the fires of war would rage on forever...

Even if some feudal lord managed to claim the empire for himself, and we enjoyed a time of peace for a while...

It was always just a matter of time before another war would break out. ...At least, that's what I used to think.

？！

I can see it in your eyes. You've been through a lot, but...

You grew up in privilege.

Yours are the eyes of someone who's never gone hungry, or lived in fear of war, or had to sleep out in the cold.

And you don't come from nobility either, do you?

？！

It may not be a straight line from Iemitsu's reign to your time, but eventually...

Now I know this land will be home to kids with gentle eyes like yours. Even if people like you seem strange to me.

Truth be told, it's hard for me to imagine a time filled with oddballs like you, but if this so-called peaceful world gets us there eventually, I guess it's not all bad.

Grandpa...

Hmph.

That was so cheesy!

Shut it.

Aww, you're blushing, Grandpa. Cuuute! Oh, and for the record, I don't think the age of war was all bad either.

Oh?

After all, you were there during it. So was I, and so was Kotarou.

Danzo, I know you're active now, but you were around during the age of war too, weren't you?

Yes, I was.

So we've all got something in common then. We're willing to risk our lives to save children that are total strangers to us.

That makes us all oddballs, as Grandpa Muramasa put it.

Bah, give it a rest.

... ...

...Lord Muramasa, I have a question for you as well.

Earlier, when you said you don't remember what your grandchildren looked like...was that a figure of speech?

No. I honestly don't remember.

Thinking back on it now...I devoted every day of my life to forging swords, and nothing else.

Where blades are concerned, as long as you make them as you were taught, they can cut through most anything.

But that just wasn't enough for me.

A sword forged by a true master should, I thought, be able to cut through anything.

I was born and raised to make swords and nothing else.

Even as everyone else around me starved to death, my work as a smith kept putting food on my table.

That's why I thought my swords had to be able to cut anything, or else there'd be no point to my life.

So I set out to make the ultimate sword. I ended up forging so many blades...

But only because if I didn't, I'd never be able to make one that was truly peerless.

I decided that sword should be capable of cutting through bonds, certainty, and even karma.

And just so you know, the Myoujingiri I lent Musashi isn't that. That one's just an evil super-blade that ended up reaching the demonic realm.

That sounds more than powerful enough, but I guess it's still not the sort of blade you were seeking, is it?

No, it's not.

I'm probably not making much sense to you, but that's okay. No one else can understand what it is I'm seeking.

It's barely one step removed from madness. Or maybe I went mad a long time ago and never realized it...

I barely remember my kids' or grandkids' faces. I have some recollection of the disciples who carried on my smithing techniques, but that's all...

I never did anything fatherly or grandfatherly for my family. And yet, here I am...

I don't give a damn whether this place is a dream, an illusion, or reality. This is where I ended up. I don't know who summoned me or why, but

...!

Then...you're a Servant too! Just like Lord Kotarou...

That's right. I'm not good for anything besides making swords, but for some reason, I showed up here.

I know I haven't exactly come back to life, but even so, I made a decision.

Now that I've found myself with a new life here, I'm going to make the most of it.

...

It'd make me real happy to see Onui get married, or travel wherever the wind takes her, just like Musashi.

Same for Tasuke. I'd be happy to see the little guy grow up and become a merchant, or a military officer, or he could even travel as well.

So I'm doing everything I can to make that happen. I forged spades, hoes, even pots, so I could save up money.

When I dematerialize...

I want them to choose their own futures and do what makes them happy. To grow up in a peaceful world, never knowing what it's like to be hungry.

So I won't have any damn thing get in my way! Not a giant snake! Nothing!

...! I'm sensing an evil aura! A really big one!

That roar and that giant body, big enough to reach the heavens... It's exactly the same kind of great serpent the Assassin of Paraíso controlled!

？！

Wait. Of course! The oni of Mt. Ooe! There are some stories that say Shuten-Douji is the daughter of the god of Ooe...which would make her one of Yamata-no-Orochi's descendants!

In which case, it's entirely possible that Saṃghāta Hell could make use of the same power behind Paraíso's curse!

How is that possible!? Besides, no one should be going around summoning ancient serpents in the first place!

It's using its whole body to block our path, huh. It knows we're in a hurry. Well, if that's how it wants to play, I won't show it any mercy!

I'm not gonna hold back! I'm goin' all out to take this monster down!

I don't know who this snake is descended from and I don't give a crap! If it insists on getting in our way...

I'll chop it up into bite-sized pieces! Not that I'll actually eat any of them!

...

Master, please stand back! We've mortally wounded it...

...but it's too strong to just die right away. If you stay too close, it could hurt you as well!

？！

...Lord Fujimaru, I don't understand. Can't you give orders and provide support from farther back just as well?

You see...for most Servants summoned at Chaldea, the closer we can be to Master, the better.

Essentially, staying close by significantly enhances our power. That's why Master always stays by our side.

But in this case, it's just too dangerous for you to be here, Master!

？！

Don't be so stubborn, kid. You should listen to the redheaded ninja once in a

Fujimaru!?

Dammit, the serpent went after Master with the last of its strength! Hang on, Master! I can see you rolling down the slope!

I'm coming to get you, so stay where yoYou're still rolling!?

There's a new enemy coming in from the front! It's another black serpent identical to the one we just fought!

Another one!? Now!?

？！

Master!!!

I'm sorry, Fujimaru...! Once we make it out of here, I'll come after you right away!