It's been too long
since we've talked like this.
It has.
Have you been well?
Yes. I have.
Right.
That's good to know.
Well, I've got an early start tomorrow, so I better go get some shuteye.
Already?
As long as you're okay, that's all I need to know.
What? Oh, okay…
But it must have been hard work finding me here.
Not for me. I didn't do anything.
But it sounds like Amidamaru had his work cut out for him!
No sooner had our match ended did I fly to every last corner of this island.
But such a task is child's play for me.
Hey, don't try so hard.
I'm saying it's child's play!
Okay, I get the picture!
Not so loud!
You'll wake everyone up!
"Everyone"?
Everyone from the X-Laws who's on this ship!
They say it's dangerous to go alone,
so there's a rule against leaving the ship by yourself.
Is there?
Sorry about this then.
But you did come all this way just to see me,
so I could hardly ignore you.
Besides, there's something I want to talk to you about too.
There is?
EPISODE 24 TRUST NO ONE
I've wanted to apologize to you.
You did so much for me back in America,
so doing what I did without so much as letting you know feels like a betrayal.
When I was with you guys, I felt so scared of my own weakness.
I was afraid of wavering.
There's no need to apologize for that, right, Amidamaru?
If it's your decision, Master Lyserg, that's all that matters.
Master Yoh will not reproach you over every petty detail.
Right. That's the kind of guy you are.
Honestly, what am I going on about?
Anna will give me hell, so I better get going.
Come hang out with us next time.
Everyone, all together.
Okay.
And don't push yourself too hard, Lyserg.
Yoh…
Thank you so much for coming here today.
Stop right there. Don't move a muscle, boy.
Marco!
Lyserg Diethel…
Good boys go to bed at eight o'clock, do they not?
Insolent brat!
Lyserg!
I told you not to move.
Not to mention,
you should worry about your own welfare.
-Master Yoh! -Right.
The whole X-Laws crew is here, huh?
We don't have any business with you.
Interrogate him.
He could be one of Hao's followers,
here to deceive our comrade into joining their evil cause.
-What? -Yoh…
There'll be no need for that, Marco.
In that last match,
his Mana was peaceful and perfectly clear.
Yoh Asakura is not evil.
The Iron Maiden!
With all due respect, Ms. Maiden, this boy has a history
of obstructing our justice.
He once protected one of Hao's followers!
Lower your gun, Marco.
What way is that to treat our friend?
Any friend of a friend is our friend.
They came all this way
just for the sake of our comrade, Lyserg Diethel.
A kindhearted boy like him
ought to be welcomed with open arms.
Yes. We should greet him as one of us, X-Laws!
-What did she say? -What did she say?
You must be joking, Ms. Maiden!
Showing your face like this is the most immodest!
Oh, it's no joke, Marco!
His Mana is more than strong enough for him to join our ranks.
Look.
Even after all of this,
he remains completely and utterly unfazed.
So laid-back!
How about it, Yoh Asakura?
Will you join us in defeating Hao
and building a wonderful paradise?
Not happening. Anna would never allow it, for one.
And I don't like how you do things.
Yoh…
Is that…
so?
I am very sad.
Damn you!
This is exactly why I don't like you.
Stop it!
He is more than a match for you now.
It is truly regrettable
that one day,
we will have to judge your life as our foe.
Honestly… Why do you guys have to take everything so seriously?
Good night, Iron Maiden.
See you back at the Shaman Fight tomorrow.
MATCH FOUR HANA-GUMI VS. T-PRODUCTION
I'm bored.
That's just how it is, Mari.
Damn… You just couldn't wait, could you?
We didn't get to do anything, thanks to you.
But they were giving me the creeps.
Yeah! Me too!
Oh, well. This ending so quickly means our treat will come even sooner.
What treat? How exciting!
Didn't you listen to Opacho's prophecy this morning?
About who's in the next match?
It's a one-sided victory for Hana-gumi!
What a stunning display!
As soon as the match began, they ended it at Mach speed!
It's over already?
What a bunch of pushovers.
They can't be that weak!
They did make it this far!
Hana-gumi must be pretty damn tough.
At this stage, it will be impossible to evaluate
just how strong he actually is.
You're right.
I wonder how they're going to fight.
Hoshi-gumi versus X-III!
The fated showdown is finally happening!
I'm sure everyone in this stadium is familiar with both teams!
There will be no one who doesn't know Hoshi-gumi's leader, Hao, at least.
Their opponents, X-III,
are members of the X-Laws,
an organization whose sole purpose is, believe it or not, to defeat Hao!
I can't say any more,
as the Patch Tribe takes a strictly neutral position,
but let's just say I'm kind of pumped!
That idiot announcer.
He always talks too much!
Who will emerge victoriously?
What a dumb question.
The answer's obvious already.
Will X-III's long-held dream finally come true?
Dreams don't come true.
They're made true!
I am Venstar, the captain of X-III.
We have orders from our leader, Ms. Maiden, to deliver your sentence.
Death!
Now those are fighting words!
X-III are raring to go!
What is this?
Hana-gumi just wrapped their match up in no time at all.
I've decided to fight by myself
in order to entertain the crowd more.
It's still not enough, though.
You might as well come at me with all your friends now.
And of course, that includes the weird girl too.
No way! Even bigger fighting words!
He just called Jeanne the Iron Maiden a "weird girl!"
I mean, it is true, though.
Bastard!
The tension here is at a breaking point!
Here we go!
Match five of the Primary Tournament!
Hoshi-gumi versus X-III!
-Take this! -Take this!
My Spirit Ally, the holy angel,
Metatron!
Gabriel!
Ramiel!
9700 Mana.
8300.
10,500.
Seriously?
How small.
-Fire! -Fire!
She was first.
And the slim one is next!
I'm going to destroy you.
Meene of X-III is dead.
That was overwhelming!
Hoshi-gumi's Hao has just put on a dominant show of power!
He's twisted!
This isn't a match! It's just senseless killing!
Where are you going?
I'm going to stop this damn match!
Don't do it.
They're still fighting.
Don't get in their way.
Yoh…
It's not over. Not yet!
By the time we were aware of his attack,
Gabriel had already been destroyed.
Which means that Spirit of Fire
is an extremely fast Over Soul?
We cannot be certain of that.
First, we need to locate his intermediary, you mean?
What's with those guys?
Their teammate just died and they're just talking calmly!
Very well.
Time for me to step up to the plate.
This is a surprise.
You seem awfully composed.
I was sure you'd go mad with rage.
Is there some kind of reason behind this?
That's none of your concern, Hao.
I'm only here to defeat you and nothing else.
So I can achieve vengeance for what you did to me
ten years ago!
I see.
I'll just get rid of this pesky corpse so we can get straight down to it!
You guys sure are funny.
Knowing you can't win, but coming here just to die anyway!
There are some things you don't know until you try them.
My Ramiel
is an angel tasked with administering the fate of souls awaiting resurrection!
He will plunge your soul
straight into eternal damnation!
Hell?
I got bored of that long ago.
-This is awful! -Wait a minute!
When did he…
That was too fast even for me to see.
My liege! This is…
Yeah. The same thing as before.
But their deaths might prove my prediction to be correct.
So they really were planning on dying from the start.
The way things are,
not even all of them together could defeat Hao, and they knew it.
So instead of going after him elsewhere, they all entered the Shaman Fight.
No…
I met them yesterday.
That's how I know.
They intend to defeat Hao,
no matter what they have to sacrifice.
How many times do I have to tell you, Lyserg Diethel?
If we are to defeat Hao,
the first thing we need to do is to discover his secrets!
As long as he's after the Great Spirit,
he also must compete in the Shaman Fight and win.
Fighting him up close and in person
is the best chance we have to provide Ms. Maiden with data!
But…
I just feel so sorry for everyone.
-Damn you! -That's enough, don't you think, Marco?
Guys!
Give him a break for today.
We've just had the X-Conference, yet you two sure have a lot of energy.
This is no time for jokes, Kevin.
You've seen the tournament bracket.
You three will be the first to take Hao on.
And Lyserg being so soft…
You're so straitlaced.
I understand how you feel, and I'm grateful.
But you need to consider how he feels too.
Softness and kindness are different.
And Lyserg is a truly kind young man!
But that's just fine, Lyserg Diethel.
Your kindness
is what our justice needs more than anything.
We will fight Hao and we will surely die.
That's what we want.
You must not let yourself be sad about it.
We want you
to watch our battle with those kind eyes of yours.
Nothing could make me happier
than building a wonderful future and paradise.
Guys…
Meene…
Kevin…
Where are you looking, Lyserg Diethel?
The fight isn't over yet.
You must look up
and see what happens with your own eyes.
Until
it really is over.
Venstar!
What a crushing victory! It was over in a flash!
He's just too strong! I wonder if anyone
will dare to step into the arena with Hao from now on!
Oh, it's over already?
I told them to all attack together.
They really are a bunch of fools.
X-Laws.
Sorry to spoil your little research project,
but no matter how many of you die, you'll never be able to beat me.
So Hao knew they were doing that the whole time?
And the X-Laws… It's all so terrible!
Yet you want me to keep quiet and just watch, Yoh?
Hey!
Yoh…
So you saw through it, did you?
But this execution isn't over yet.
Our comrades' noble deaths were not in vain!
They allowed me
to solve the mystery of your intermediary!
Remarkable! Venstar is still alive!
-He's tough. -The nerve!
He's still talking of executions even now?
I can't believe he'd show such disrespect to Lord Hao!
It's not so bad, Luchist.
This is a bit better than total inadequacy.
So Venstar, was it?
What do you plan on doing with the knowledge that air is my intermediary?
Just as I thought.
Fire needs oxygen to burn.
As such,
it's hard to imagine a better intermediary for my Over Soul, Spirit of Fire.
The bastard!
He told us himself!
Does this mean he's not afraid at all for us to know that?
Or is it just a simple taunt?
It's both.
He's making a mockery of Kevin and Meene's deaths!
But Venstar is not the kind of man to make idle conversation.
If what Hao says is true,
perhaps the death penalty will still be possible.
What's the matter?
If you're going to do something, you'd better hurry, before you die.
Silence, fiend!
Officiant!
Just how strong is the barrier around this ring?
What? Well, it's amazing!
To prevent anyone interfering in the sacred Shaman Fight,
only I and the combatants entering or leaving the arena can get through it!
Nothing else can pass in or out of it.
It's invincible!
That's a relief to hear.
So even if there was a huge explosion inside the barrier,
Ms. Maiden wouldn't be harmed!
Hand Grenade X.
It's a grenade modified by Venstar
that he carries with him should the need to use it ever arise.
HAND GRENADE X
To prevent it from blowing up during the fight with Hao,
he kept it behind a fireproof pad.
Once it detonates,
all of the oxygen in the arena will be burned up!
Lord Hao!
You've made a grave error, Hao.
With the oxygen you use all gone,
there will be nothing left to protect you!
This will mark a great step forward for us!
For Ms. Maiden! Forever!
These guys are insane…
There isn't even any point in disqualifying them now!
Venstar!
The X-Laws…
They're real pieces of work, but I can't criticize them after that.
There's no way Hao survived that.
He isn't dead yet.
Yoh.
How long am I supposed to hold all this in?
The truth is,
I don't want to feel anger ever again.
How many souls do you have to toy with before you're satisfied…
The Great Onmyoji,
Hao Asakura?
Subtitle translation by: Lewis Williams