05: The Black Ship Arrives at SAITAMA

Dammit, that pathetic excuse for a president really didn't learn a damn thing!

I don't know. If anything, I get the feeling he's doing this BECAUSE he learned something.

I see. So that is how it seems to you.

Why? You disagree, Kojirou?

No, I largely share your assessment. Though it does strike me as desperate recklessness born of strong conviction.

So, Master, now that we find ourselves without employment, what shall we do?

？！

Hey, why not come work for me, then? Honnoji International's stock is soaring!

Oh, if it isn't Lord Kippoushi. What are you doing here? I thought you had gone over to the enemy's side.

Hey now, I'd never betray Master. I may not look it, but I've actually got a pretty strong sense of duty.

Even in the Warring States period when people would betray you left and right, I'd always keep my promises. Don't lump me in with the likes of Takeda Shingen.

Kippoushi?

Excuse me, Lord Fujimaru, but may I ask who the hell this person is?

？！

Huh!? But he seems so much more, um...wild, than the Lady Nobunaga I met before.

I know, right? There's a reason they called me the conqueror of the Warring States.

I really am way cooler than the other Nobunagas, aren't I!?

Well, at first glance, it doesn't look like you're being controlled the way Emiya Alter is.

Was this all part of a plan or something?

Yup. Yoshida and...Takasugi, right? They both approached me asking to partner up with them.

I wasn't sure what to do at first, especially without Master around...

...but I figured taking them both out would solve the problem.

So I decided to partner up with that Yoshida guy to take out the hopeless-looking one first.

Huh, so that was your game. I guess you're a lot shrewder than you look.

So what about the daifuku charisma thing? Did it not work on you?

Yoshida said himself its adoration effect doesn't work well on anyone more charismatic than him.

And I'm Oda freaking Nobunaga. Of course I'm not gonna lose to some random Bakumatsu era clansman.

That said, for just being some random clansman, he IS pretty charismatic...

Maybe that has something to do with why this Yoshida person has Lord Emiya Alter under his control.

I dunno. He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who'd be someone's puppet without a plan, but who knows?

Anyway, you should get ready, Master. It's gonna be here soon.

？！

Something that's gonna open up this whole land of SAITAMANo, the entire Singularity...

The Black Ship.

Hey, Shouin-sensei. It's me, Shinsaku. I know you're here.

I came all this way to see you. The least you could do is greet me yourself.

Well, if nothing else, you have no shortage of bluster. This Kishin gizmo is your trump card, then?

It saddens me to see that your final refuge is a soulless piece of armor. Honestly, I don't even know what to say to you anymore.

How about you get the hell off your high horse already, Sensei?

I'm the goddamn hero who demolished the shogunate's forces and saved all of Choushu, and you're just a guy who gave up before the fight even started.

For the last time, you accomplished nothing. Please don't make me say so yet again.

Idiot that you were, I suppose you never could get much through that thick skull of yours.

And what if I am?

I think I can afford to give you one last lesson. Let's begin now, shall we?

...What's that rumbling? It sounds like...it's coming from underneath the headquarters?

It's still not perfected, but it should be more than sufficient to handle you.

Behold. This is the guiding light that will open up this closed-off world.

This is my warship...the Kurofune!

K-Kurofune... As in, the Black Ships!?

Indeed. This is the resumption of my dream that never came to pass!

This is the ship of hope that will open up everything and bring us to the outside world!

...

So THAT'S what you've been working on? The Kurofune? Really?

I can't believe you of all people would think to build an old, obsolete ship now, of all times.

Hahahahaha! This is hilarious! I knew you were old-fashioned, Sensei, but come ON!

Did you really think that hunk of junk would give my Kishin any trouble?

You used to pity the shogunate officials for being stuck in their ways. Look what you did here. Who's really stuck in their ways?

If that's what you think, why not see for yourself how well your vaunted Kishin does against it?

All right, maybe I will then.

Do it, Arahabaki! Crush that obsolete piece of scrap and Sensei's dreams along with it!

Over already? That's it?

And here I'd been thinking fighting him would actually be challengi

...!?

For Japan, the Black Ships are visitors from a foreign land. They are the destructors of the old order and imposers of the new.

A magical energy barrier!?

They are the physical embodiment of the threat posed by the outside world.

A pitiful failure of a god born from a tiny island nation like thisno, from you, can never hope to match them.

You...you never know unless you try!

If words will not help you understand, then we'll have to do it the hard way!

Kurofune! Ready all cannons and open fire at Kishin Arahabaki!!!

Damn, they're really going at it.

To think that an iron giant and a Black Ship would battle in the sealess land of SAITAMA! I struggle to think of anything more bizarre or extraordinary!

That's one of the Black Ships?

Those were the iron ships that came from the West around the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, right?

I see. The Black Ships that ended the Tokugawa regime.

It remains only a single Western ship. I doubt it will give the Kishin much trouble.

Well, you're wrong. The Kishin's gonna go down hard.

What do you mean?

...I think THAT'S what he means.

What in the world...?

I haven't been able to so much as scratch it.

Even if I can't win, you'd think I could do at least a little better than this.

What did you expect? My Kurofune would never lose to the hollow iron giant of one so absent any dreams.

...My dreams?

One without dreams is without ideals. One without ideals is without a plan.

One without a plan is without action. One without action is without success.

Therefore, one who is without dreams is without success.

I taught you this before. Apparently, you never took the lesson to heart.

...

What're Servants like us supposed to do with dreams? We're already dead.

How do you expect to accomplish anything if you resign yourself to failure from the start? Was that your excuse when Kusaka died, too?

Shut up! What would you know about that!?

You're the one who blindly trusted the shogunate like an idiot and practically handed them your head on a platter!

And not just you. Kusaka, everyone else... They all died without even saying a proper goodbye!

...So, the truth comes out. Is that what this all boils down to for you?

...!

...Never mind. Forget I said anything.

I see. Then I suppose this is goodbye.

Wait, Sensei. First, please tell me one last thing.

What is it YOU'RE trying to accomplish with this thing?

What's the dream you're working towards?

As if you don't know.

My dream is the same now as it was then: to escape this small, stifling world for the one that lies outside.

The world that lies outside... So, back then...

You haven't changed, I see.

No, you haven't changed a bit since the day you first knocked on the Shokasonjuku Academy's door.

...!

...

Sorry I turned out to be such a disappointing student. All right, let's get this over with.

Then prepare to die. Alone.

Wha

All that time you spent talking gave them time to show up.

Aw man, I'm a terrible shot as it is. No way I'm hitting my target with you getting in the way.

What do you think you're doing? I thought we formed a partnership.

I mean, yeah. Until we took down Takasugi Industries, right?

They look pretty down to me.

...

Let's see, you're Takasugi, right? I really thought you'd put up more of a fight.

With you two being nice enough to fight each other, I figured I'd swoop in and take out the winner once one of you was down.

...Save me?

What? I thought it was a pretty good idea.

？！

I thought I already fired you all. You don't work for me anymore, got that?

Now hurry up and get out of here. There's nothing any of you can do against that Kurofune.

Yeah, yeah, we figured you'd say that. Sorry, but we're not leaving here without you, whether you like it or not.

Hey! Put me down! Just forget about me!

Kippoushi, I'm counting on you to bring up the rear. You good with that?

You're not going anywhere!

...That sword of yours is a real pain in the ass. You've got more faith in your lack of faith than anyone else.

Shouin talked about how important dreams are, but it looks like the strength in your sword comes from something else entirely.

Oh, I have a dream of my own. My admiration for that noble's sword I glimpsed long ago is what led to the secret technique I possess now.

One who gave up on their own dream would never understand.

Master, allow me to handle this man while you focus on the main threat.

Got it. Think I'll jump ahead and get a little crazy.

Oh, by the way, Yoshida-whatever-your-name-is, does this Kurofune of yours have any Divinity or some such?

I am not so conceited as to feign godhood.

Oh, yeah? That'll make things tougher for my Noble Phantasm then.

Be that as it may, I can tell you aren't the type to give up.

Got that just from meeting me once, huh? Impressive. Yup, you're right. I'm just gonna keep hitting it until it breaks!

Three Line Formation!!!

Hmm, I see! Fight back, Kurofune!

Wahahaha! A single iron ship is no match for me!

Know why? 'Cause I'm Oda Kippoushi, the genius of the Warring States period!

Welp, that turned out not to be a great matchup for me.

What the hell IS that thing? I don't have nearly enough bullets or magical energy to get through that ridiculously thick armor.

Well, you were definitely right to call for that retreat. I can see why you were such a big deal in your homeland.

I make it a point not to fight battles I can't win. You know, you handled yourself really well out there, too. How'd you like to be my newest retainer?

I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass. These days, this old man's just an average office worker.

I see.

So, what do we do now?

And hey, where'd Rooster-Head go?

He is talking with Master.

First you leave without a word, then you go and get your ass handed to you!? You've definitely earned yourself a time-out!

...

Well!? Aren't you going to say anything!?

Anything.

Oh, real mature!

？！

Lord Fujimaru... Come on, Zanzaburo.

Zan.

...

...

...Say something.

Nothing to say to an idiot, eh?

Okay, yeah, I hear how infuriating that is now.

？！

...

...I was a pretty good student even among the Shokasonjuku Academy ranks.

The only one who could match me was a guy named Kusaka. We were the twin stars of the whole school.

Oh, Shokasonjuku Academy was Shouin-sensei's private school, by the way.

Anyway, for some reason, Sensei had plenty of good things to say about Kusaka. Never about me, though.

He'd always compare us. Stuff like, "Shinsaku is impulsive and shallow, while Kusaka is thoughtful and talented."

And you know, I get it. I'm the kind of guy who works harder the more you tear him down.

But I still wish he would have found something good to say about me, at least once in a while.

...

Anyway, thanks to that, everyone thought I was gonna be the first of us to die, probably in a ditch somewhere.

But no. Instead, it was the quiet, thoughtful Kusaka, much to everyone's surprise.

...

With him gone, it was really just me. Well, I guess there were a few others. But to me, only Kusaka mattered.

So as the last one left, I had no choice but to go it alone.

From there, well, you know the rest.

...

Some hero of Choushu I turned out to be. All I managed was a few shoot-outs with the shogunate.

Shouin-sensei is right. I didn't accomplish anything before I died.

I mean, it wasn't so long ago that you beat the shit out of me. That really showed me how powerless I was.

I thought Shouin-sensei was scolding me so he could help me grow, but now, I see I was just high on myself.

He knew right from the start that I wasn't worth helping.

...Pretty pathetic all right.

If you ever wanted to see a self-absorbed moron who can't do anything on his own...

...well, look no further.

...

You think? Yeah, maybe...

？！

So, you can't do anything on your own either, huh?

Not on your own...

What, you two're still hashing things out? C'mon, Master, we gotta get going.

You're going to try again? Why? Even my Kishin couldn't make a dent in the Kurofune.

Oh, that destroyer from outside the world ship thing? Yeah, nothing we can do about that.

Ships like that came during the Bakumatsu era too, right? How'd you guys drive 'em off?

How else?

Everyone banded together for the natio

Everyone...

There it is! He CAN learn! You can't fight a war alone. You sure as hell can't win one that way.

You guys...

By the way, Lord Takasugi, it may interest you to know that Chaldea Industries is now hiring.

What would you say to employing your talents at a new workplace?

What, so I'm being demoted from president to rank and file employee?

Haha... Hahahahaha!

...

You know, at this point, something that low-pressure...

...sounds great!

Zan?

Nah, let's just let the new president and new employee have their little man-to-man talk.

Nah, let's just let the new president and new employee bond in private.

All right, looks like this story's about to reach its climax.

Distinguished guests, get ready for the grand finale here in SAITAMA!