This video analyzes the 'Subjugation of the King of the King Dragons' prequel novel in the Mushoku Tensei series, focusing on how Al (the son of the immortal Demon King Atafe) defeats the King of King Dragons through a combination of Shina's sacrifice, Shiki's encouragement, and Al's determination, ultimately leading to the creation of 49 legendary swords from the dragon's body. The analysis explores themes of honor versus revenge, the value of life over pride, and how witnessing extraordinary feats can transform characters' perspectives on their own lives and goals.
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The King Dragon Sword's Birth! - Mushoku Tensei Novel Analysis! (Subjugation 6)Hinzugefügt:
What's up chat? Happy Mushoku Monday's everyone. Welcome back to yet another trek through the Mushoku Tensei light novel series. We are on Subjugation of the King of the King Dragons part six, the final one. This is it. This is the final Mushoku Monday and I'm ju- >> [laughter] >> It's getting there. It's getting there.
I'm I'm I'm starting to feel it. Like holy crap, this is the last of Subjugation and I guess Roxy gets serious, which again, I don't really know how the hell I'm going to handle that. I might just read it and just talk about it. I I don't know. After that, I think we're just done.
I think Mushoku Monday is just going to come to conclusion. It's going to come eventually. It has to come eventually, right? It's just it's finally hitting me. It's crazy, but that said, hey chat. Hope you guys are doing well. Hope you guys have a great rest of your Monday at Mushoku Monday and I greatly appreciate you guys' kind words, your support, all that stuff. And yes, all those that support financially through Patreon, tips links, super thanks, memberships, all that stuff.
Thank you guys so much for your ongoing support, but that said, let's just dive into it.
We're kicking things off where we left off where Al was going to get fried.
Al, with his cheeks scorched by heat, was in a daze. He was alive. Why? Am I burning? Did he miss? Who? No way. A person in black? The King of the King Dragons? A maid's uniform? He shook his confused head and looked at what was lying on top of him. It was a person.
Her black hair was singed at the ends.
Her armor was cracked and shattered at the back, exposing severe burns. Steam, or perhaps smoke, rose from her body.
Their eyes met. It was a tattered figure of Shina.
She took a bullet like is this a is finally Shina going to die? Like all this time of surviving, she's finally going to die because she had to take a bullet for him. She moved her lips as if to say something, then lost consciousness. She likely no longer had the strength to form actual words. I'm surprised that she was able to shield his entire body. I mean, a woman's frame I would think would be much smaller than a male's. And this is some bulky armor.
Al understood instantly. She had saved him. Realizing that, a warm feeling slowly welled up inside of him. He He avoid the thought. It was unnecessary.
She had interfered with a sacred one-on-one duel.
>> [laughter] >> As a knight, there was no greater disgrace, and yet what rose within him was warmth. There was no irritation or anger in his heart, only gratitude.
Yeah, the whole idea of like, you know, honor and the duel and all that kind of crap, it's only within the two individuals that are acting it or some stupid unspoken rule or something like that. When it comes down to it, if you're alive, you're freaking grateful.
>> [laughter] >> Like, in the end of the day, you're alive. You succeeded. You survived. And that somebody in this situation, somebody sacrificed themselves for you.
Potentially sacrificed. I mean, it's still a sacrifice. She's hurt. He was generally thankful that he'd been saved.
Now, he could still fight. Being saved by comrade during one-on-one duel and still fighting. What a disgrace. How shameless of me. Laying Shina gently to the side, Al stood up. The sword in his right hand felt strangely light. Ooh, get a little boost there.
The great sword that he brought from home was snapped clean at the base. It was a masterpiece once wielded by Atafe during the human-demon war. A legendary artifact, but it was an antique, so perhaps it was inevitable. Mother's going to be mad.
>> [laughter] >> As he was thinking about this absentmindedly, Frau had silently approached him and offered him a sword.
Who's this? He accepted the sword stained with red blood, a replica of the holy sword Baralight. I'm guessing that was Shina's weapon. A weapon used by the holy knights, likely taken from a knight who had died in the cave. Frau offered no explanation from where she had found it and immediately began treating Shina.
Okay, there you go. The only thing Al could do was fight the King of the King Dragons. Thinking that, he rose and looked at the King of the King Dragons and trembled. I guess that was enough to give him a fright. The King of the King Dragons was on the brink of death. A broken sword was lodged in his jaw, slicing through from throat to chin. So, he got a hit in before this happened?
Blood gushed out in torrents. The slash had likely reached all the way to the upper jaw.
Blood was pouring from his nose, too.
Black smoke billowed from his mouth, probably when Kajikut tried to unleash his fire breath. Al's blade had pinned his upper and lower jaws like a nail, causing the flames to backfire and burn from the inside through the wound. Okay, I didn't really really get a sense that he connected anything back there. Yeah, I got a sense that he he slipped and he wasn't able to meet him.
So, something something happened while we weren't there, I guess. The tip of the blade touched beneath Kajikut's neck. We won. That was a moment someone felt sure victory. Just a few centimeters Al's foot slid. Blah No one imagined something so small would be used such a deadly effect in the final moment, especially not a duel with both sides with a single fatal strike.
He quite literally tripped up. Kajikut could assume it would be a close battle, hadn't missed even the tiniest shift. He was two, maybe three steps ahead.
Perhaps it was experience with Kelman in Lan Xiao that allowed him to read as far ahead. The slip was only a few centimeters, not even that, perhaps just a few millimeters. But that was enough.
Now in Kajikut's eyes was Al's unbalanced form. He ignited his throat and started the fire and it was going to kill him. Then we cut over to Fan Li and then back over. Anyways, whatever. I guess apparently we're not going to see what actually happened there. It had scorched the nerves deep in his nasal cavity. Kajikut had lost both his sight and hearing. And yet, his eyes still burned fiercely, glaring at Al with intense focus. Whether it was Al's sensing his presence or sheer will, Kajikut knew Al still lived and was sharpening his remaining senses to detect when the next attack might come.
He likely didn't know why Al was alive.
Surely, not even in Al's wildest dreams would he imagine that Al had been saved in the middle of a one-on-one duel in such a disgraceful manner. He probably believed that Al had found a way to nullify the flames and was even now raising his sword to counterattack. No, perhaps he hadn't even realized that Al was still alive, having failed to hit his target with a full-powered attack and injured himself in the process. He may have just assumed that he'd failed to finish off the descendant of the immortal demon king. Al's body trembled.
Shame, fear. To have sullied such a sacred duel, how shameful. To see the king of the king dragons still full of fighting spirit even in such a state, how terrifying. He couldn't move, couldn't even take a stance again.
Technically, he shouldn't even be standing right now. It's putting so much shame in this whole again again, the whole honor thing, which I honestly believe is just bull crap.
>> [laughter] >> I think it it makes sense and it it technically is a logical mindset from Al's perspective because why he wants this fight, why he wants to kill the king of king dragons, a lot of it has to do with trying to be a hero and fulfill what his father was doing. So, I can see from his perspective this is a big deal and for this not to play out the way that he wanted is bull crap. It's the story's going to go down as she shielded him from a death blow and the dragon died.
From our perspective, we don't even know how the hell he died.
>> [laughter] >> So, it's not an honorable fight. At that point, it's probably an element of like, well, then just go go your separate ways. Hopefully the dragons can survive in the end and you can come back and have a a round two or something like that. Try it again.
Um It's it's interesting either way to see the king of the king dragons still full of fighting spirit even in such a state, how terrifying. He couldn't move, could he even take a stance again?
Technically, he shouldn't even be standing right now. Look around, what's left of the forest was turned to charcoal. So, okay, so now they're outside. Okay, so this this fight must have been going on for a while and we just we skipped it all. All right, I I guess that makes sense now.
What's that? A fire in the distance in a dried-out forest that was supposed to be drenched in the rain. The King of King Dragons' true fire breath could raise entire countries and turn entire regions like the Eastern Lands into decades-long dead wastelands. If he moved even one step, wouldn't that fire come flying at him again? And next time, would he be able to dodge it? Ah.
His teeth chattered audibly. Fear gripped every inch of Al's body. He was afraid of death. Born as a son of the immortal Demon King Atafe, a member of the bloodline most distant from death in his world, Al had lived without threat, without fear. He once again fallen from the top of the castle and survived. He believed in his invincibility. It had always been easy to ignore the idea of him dying or being harmed.
>> I won't die.
>> The idea of dying was less realistic.
That belief shattered in an instant. He was scared. He was terrified. With Al's leg strength and brute power, he could reach Kajicoot in a single step and deliver a final blow straight in the head. Of course, all before the dragon could even fire off another fire breath.
But, his legs wouldn't move. What he should be able to do, he couldn't. This was bad. If he didn't move, Kajicoot's sight would eventually return. That was only temporary. And once it did, Al would be branded a coward and this time be killed for real.
>> Branded a coward? I guess if anybody survives the idea of her saving his life and the duel not being fair, all that would be kind of the story. He got his life saved and then he ended up dying.
It would be a horrible story, though.
>> He hated that. To aim for heroism and be labeled a coward. To drag the name of his father, the North God, through the mud. That was something he would hate even more than death. But still, his legs trembled and wouldn't move. Hey, Al. What's wrong? When Al looked, he saw Chiggy standing there covered in small burns. Her face, always well-shaped, looked even more striking due to burns.
But as always, she wore the same expression. Chiggy looked at his face and snorted through her nose.
She's so Roxy. She's so Roxy. It's like you expect the other girl probably frowned be Roxy, but now this chick's this chick's a Roxy. She's not a mage, but she's got the expression and personality. What pathetic face. Right now, even Shiki could probably beat you.
Is it really that pathetic?
Yeah. You look like some upstart noble seconds before getting killed. Looks like you're about to start begging for your life at any moment. Altouch his own face.
Just from that, he could tell he had the face of someone about to cry. It really was pathetic. Look at the King of King Dragons. Ow. Just a little more. But I in a one-on-one duel. Idiot. You're chickening out now? What about all the resolve you spoke about in bed with Shiki?
>> [laughter] >> If that was all talk, then Shiki might really start to spice you. Resolve.
That's right. He came here with his resolve set. No matter what happened, he would defeat the King of King Dragon Kachakut. I don't know the customs of duels, but I know at least this much. In a fight to the death, the one still alive in the end is the winner. Shiki.
Pride, honor. Are you really thinking you could kill Kachakut, the King of King Dragons, while being shackled by those things? Knights and mercenaries get it wrong. Life outweighs pride, honor, and money because life contains all that.
>> [laughter] >> I guess that's I guess that's I mean, that's not wrong. It's just a very interesting way to put things.
I There really is an element here where it's like again going back to before where it's like that pride aspect, which again I understand it from the perspective of this is what he came here for and the the initial goal isn't even happening.
But from Shiki's perspective, it's like everybody else there were they're in this moment not trying to achieve something. They're all like we we're going to die.
>> [laughter] >> Can we please forget about this? But all he cares about that. And Shiki's are here going, "Dude, your life, you kind of need that. Yes, people put all these other things are more important, but when you think about it, life all that stuff happens, so it kind of weighs more.
That's why in this world, the one who kills something becomes a hero. If you can't do that, ow, then give up on being a hero. No, I can't do that. The trembling stopped. If he killed the King of King Dragons, Kajikoot now, he might be called a coward who stained a one-on-one duel. Even if not, the guilt within him would never disappear. He would regret it for the rest of his life. But that fear turned to nothing but strings of words. Al raised his sword. Fighting spirit surged from his body. I think it's really a fact that you need to kind of change your perspective here.
I think you can get branded as a hero from this whole thing while knowing the truth, but accept it as you and your allies overcame something that is extremely powerful. Who cares how it went out? The duel part, just take the duel part out of there.
You three overcame something. I'm assuming it's three and all else. Again, I don't know what happened in the fight.
>> [laughter] >> Refugia has technically done this before, but it's one of the aspects where he just suddenly goes, "And end."
It's just okay. I I don't know what really happened. I'm assuming she helped. I'm assuming based on Shiki having some burn marks, she might have gotten involved or she could have just been hit by some fires that kind of just hit in the area.
King of the King Dragons, Kajikoot. The duel ended in your victory. I was humiliatingly burned by your flames. Al looks right back. The son of the Immortal Demon King is dead.
He's discarding his name, {question mark} From here on, the one who will kill you is the successor of the North God style, a hero, a son of the North God. And the reason is revenge.
Understood? So, it's getting rid of the idea of it being a fight for the sake of honor to the idea of it just being I don't really care about honor. I just want revenge. {question mark} A one-sided, self-serving statement.
Whether the King of the King Dragons heard or not, he simply opened his heavy mouth with a weary motion. "Once I'm dead, please give my best regards to your mother, Atofa." "Yes."
>> [sighs and gasps] >> Yeah, I think it's just turning into an element of revenge. Forget everything we established before. This is not some honorable thing. This is kind of it kind of just turns messy. Like the whole situation turns messy. Now again, he technically did say that that was the reason he was there was revenge.
But it's got messy.
Kajicoot's perspective. At that moment, the king of team dragons hesitated just a little. The instant he was about to unleash his gravity magic, the face of a certain person surfaced in his mind. The figure of his former comrade in arms and his ally to this day, Atafe. How many times have they saved each other during the human demon war? It had gone beyond the realm of debt. Having fought through that savage war and survived despite defeat, it was thanks to each other's existence and the friends who had died along the way. Now, after having killed her husband, here stood her son. If he were to kill the son, too, wouldn't Atafe herself come next? The immortal demon king lives forever. Concepts like marriage and partner mean little to her.
And even after her beloved was killed, she didn't burn for a thirst for vengeance. She only grumbled. But Kajicoot couldn't believe for a second that she remained silent if her own blood, her own child, were killed. Just as he once done, she would marshal the armies of the demon king's territory and come to reduce the king dragon's mountains to rubble. To literally level them completely and turn them into flatlands. That thought, just that, made his attack delay by an instant. I don't I don't I don't think so. I mean yes, technically towards the later parts of the series, there was like this little moment of like it obviously gave the indication that like only with him was she like backing down. Like with the situation get extremely tense, he literally just says Mom.
And like she chills out. Like she listened to him and there There like a sense of like, yeah, I think she loves him and cares for him and I think there was an element where she also kind of sees her husband in him. Um there is an element of like, this is my son, like he definitely took upon himself like the person I love and there's a love element there.
But like I don't know.
>> [laughter] >> It's like I I never really think of her like thinking that much through this kind of stuff that to the extent of what he's doing here like she's going to come tear up this place just because I killed him when he came to kill me.
I think even with the the husband, she kind of respected it because he came here to fight you and he lost.
Yes, it sucks, but that was his choice.
Like I'm not going to come here and kill Kajicoot who I fought alongside when that was his choice.
It's my choice my son now, too. So I don't I I don't see it. I don't I don't see it. It's but again, that's what's going through Kajicoot's head. Like whether it's true or not isn't the point. It's the fact that he thought about it.
The fact that his brain right now is processing this, it that's what the delay is. Whether it's true or not, that's the delay.
That's what caused it. As a result, Al's sword slashed from his throat to the roof of his mouth and his own fire breath burned out his optic nerves because of that brief hesitation. The enemy's ally managed to make it in time.
Kajicoot had no intentions of making excuses like, if only there hadn't been allies. It was an attack that would have killed him even if someone had stepped in, but because of the slight hesitation, the ally's intervention prevented his death. In that case, of course, his ally would step in. Kajicoot didn't know human customs. In all of his long life as a dragon, he had only experienced one-on-one duels a handful of times. Usually, either a human would challenge him solo and be crushed by a horde of dragons or he alone would crush a large group of humans. So now, even with one or two interruptions, he had no intentions of worrying about it. He felt this is far too beautiful of a way for someone like him to die. He thought he'd end up either dying alone atop a mountain and becoming bones, losing the king's throne to a younger male and being eaten by sandworms in the eastern wastelands, or having his life wrenched away by some natural disaster. But, to engage in such intense tactical exchange, win, and still die, it wasn't a bad ending.
>> [laughter] >> I mean, yeah, as opposed to just dying alone on top of a hill, it's more glorious battle experiencing something like this, but yeah.
It goes back to the whole idea of not really understanding it fully by the fact of how long they live. Carmat were And thus, the subjugation of the king of the King Dragons came to a close. The duel was won by the king of the King Dragons, but the one who survived was the North God. Soon, the curtain would rise on a new legend.
Chapter 9, the curtain rise.
Subjugation of Kajicoot, the king of the King Dragons, results. The Royal Knights Order of the King Dragon Realm annihilated. Wild Leopard's Mercenary Corps Blue Leopard Division annihilated.
Millis Exorcist Armored Corps annihilated. Magic Organization Order of the World Tree annihilated. Martial Arts Group Phoenix Nest retreated.
>> [laughter] >> King of the King Dragons Kajicoot defeated. I was about to say I just knew the Phoenix Nest would be like, yep, they're out of there. It just said retreated. Like it says they they just decided to leave. Um forfeit. Interesting things here, though, and then I might get into more of it in a minute, but obviously the Royal Knights Order, I'm guessing that implies that the Blue Leopard group, like they finished them off on that battlefield cuz they were fighting out there. So, I'm going to guess they completely wiped them out in the end, and he was the only one that potentially survived. But, the fact the Wild Leopard Mercenary Corps is also annihilated, that assumes that he died as well, and I'm guessing that Barkhoff was killed too, because again, his group is annihilated. Again, this is the sucky thing about the fact that that entire fight was like just completely glossed over. Just Oh, just yeah, everybody's dead apparently.
>> [laughter] >> Just Conclusion, every group considered a stronger contender was completely wiped out. The one who emerged victorious in this intense battle was a boy, the rightful successor of the North God Style. It's said that he challenged the King of the King Dragons in a one-on-one duel and won. However, in the town buzzing around the corpse of the enormous King of the King Dragons, no one stepped forward to claim the deed.
The idea that someone could defeat the King of the King Dragons who annihilated both the Blue Leopard Division and the Millis Holy Knights Order in a one-on-one duel was hard to believe.
Most people say it was a combined effort of the Blue Leopard Division and the Millis Holy Knights. Few knew the truth, but the fact that Kajicoot, the King of the King Dragons, was defeated and that the blacksmith, Julian, brought his corpse into his workshop. The town was in a festival frenzy. But he has to get the sword, right? Three days had passed since Julian entered the workshop. Frau Claudia, also known as Flowing Clouds, was getting ready to set foot on a journey back home. That was the other thing. It Why would they claim that group was annihilated when Flowing Clouds technically survived?
Unless you're just talking about the group. She had end up lingering for days. Caught in her feelings, she had accomplished her goal, assassinating the key figures in the Sun Faction. It was time to return. Looking back, she felt like she'd been running in circles.
She'd made poor decisions, come close to death, and been forced to face her own lack of skill and immaturity.
I think she's really good. I think she's really Again, prototype Rudis.
But she was aware that she'd grown mentally through the experience. Until now, she'd been too obsessed with her status and forgotten what really mattered. She'd always clung to her titles, but in the end, they were useless.
Refugian likes bringing that up in this series, even way back here. Titles mean nothing. There were people plenty better than her, even if they were lower-rank ones, like an advanced-tier swordsman.
Or even rogue mages without a title.
Frau had decided that once she got back, she'd change her mindset and start retraining her magic from scratch. Yeah, I think a big part of this is getting away from that group, going on her own, doing her own research. It's It obviously implies that she's going to go off and be the first principal there and all that kind of stuff, but get achievements and go on with the mage guild in a different way. Not just memorize spells for exams, but becoming a mage others could rely on in crisis.
To start with, she work on building her physical strength.
Got to set him up.
>> [laughter] >> Just like her master said.
Just outside the town, Frau spotted someone unexpected. That person was sitting cross-legged on a large rock meditating. Frau considered calling out to him, but decided not to. She didn't know what to say, and she didn't want to interrupt his meditation. She regretted not saying a proper goodbye, but she had left a message. So, that should be enough. Frau gave that person a small bow, then turned back towards the road with a refreshed look on her face.
Let's go back to town.
Let's go back to the north. Two weeks had passed since Julian entered the workshop. Chicky, aka Assassin Chiquita, was bored out of her mind. Is she going to get some daggers from this?
Originally, she had planned to leave town and chase after Blue Panther, who had left the town in order to meet up with the main force. Okay, so apparently he lived, so their group wasn't annihilated. Just Just Anyways, uh but recently, she'd heard rumors that the Assassin's Guild she belonged to had taken devastating blow and been wiped out.
Okay, apparently the person who hired her to take out the Blue Panther had also been killed by someone. To be honest, Chicky hadn't been thrilled about going after someone as dangerous as Blue Panther, someone who could deflect throwing knives even in complete darkness. So, she took this as a lucky break and decided to ditch the job and relax in town.
Chicky wasn't particularly fond of crowds, but she still found it fun to wander the town and watch it celebrating, something that she'd been involved with. But after 2 weeks, the festival atmosphere was fading, and even Chicky was starting to get bored. Now, she was strolling through the town, nibbling on a skewer of grilled dragon meat she had bought from a street stall.
Compared to how it been earlier, the town had regained a sense of calm, like the quiet before a storm, before Julian's upcoming magic sword unveiling.
Everyone who participated in the battle was eagerly waiting for it. People all over the town were whispering about the battle of the King of King Dragons, sharing all kinds of outlandish stories, like how the North God's style swordsman was a giant over 3 m tall, and how the last Holy Knight Barkel and the Swordmaster Blue Panther joined forces to bring the King of King Dragons down.
Others said the Death God's Knight, the Assassin, and the survivor from the Order of the World Tree formed a party to defeat it. Hearing her name brought up in rumors made Cheeky feel a little giddy.
>> [laughter] >> A friend of a friend used to be pals with Blue Panther, and according to him, the Blue Panther, the Holy Knight Barkel, and the North God's successor fought the King of King Dragons for three whole days and nights. They were all seriously injured by the end, but they finally managed to bring down after all. No way. Three days and nights? I mean, that's insane. The King of King Dragons held out that long against those three. That thing really is no joke.
Overhearing this kind of conversation made Cheeky smirk. She remembered that moment clearly. The standoff between Al and the King of King Dragons, Kajakoot, had lasted only 16 seconds. Then, with a bit of encouragement from her, Al landed the final blow. The whole thing took about 3 minutes. There wasn't really any fierce battle. It was practically over in a single strike. Who would believe that? Saying they fought for 3 days sound a lot more convincing, but even if no one ever believed it, Cheeky would never forget that moment. It was seared in her mind. "Oh, hey, ain't you the brat from Al's crew? What are you up to?" Someone called out to her head on.
It was a rough-looking man who would be mistaken for a bandit if weren't for the fact that he was known as a Holy Knight, Barkel. He wore gleaming white armor that sparkled in the sunlight as he walked, leading a white horse loaded with the supplies. The armor and his face didn't match at all.
So, apparently he's alive, too. So, apparently that group wasn't annihilated.
I question the term annihilated.
Nothing. Go away. Chiki didn't particularly dislike Barkle, but for Shana's sake, she said that anyway. Ah, don't be like that. We cheered together, didn't we? Hm? Grumbling, Barkle shrugged as he walked past Chiki.
Despite what she said, Chiki turned and walked beside him. Barkle gave a suspicious look. What? Didn't you tell me to go away? You were the one who called out for me, remember? Well, whatever. Chiki was just bored.
>> [laughter] >> This is a weird little pairing here.
Where are you heading, Barkle? Back to headquarters for now. This subjugation got us pretty wrecked. Best case, I get my pay docked. Worst case, I get demoted. Eh, serves me right for underestimating things. There's a rumor going around that you were the one that took down the King of King Dragons. If you just go along with it, doesn't that solve your problem? When Chiki said that, Barkle scratched his chin.
>> [laughter] >> Is Is he going to have a Is he going to have a moment of respect? Is he going to have a brief moment of respect here?
I'm a liar, sure, but I don't lie about things I can't do. I can't fake something I can't replicate. Besides, if I really went around claiming that, you wouldn't stay quiet about it, would you?
I'm no ace like the Blue Panther. Last thing I want is to get hunted down by Chiki Tau the Assassin.
>> [laughter] [gasps] >> He's got a good point.
There's an element here of They talked about this in the main line series, too. Was it I think it was Rudeus. He didn't want that title. And if anybody knew that he was within the great powers, they might come after him.
Like there was an aspect of like, if you gain these titles, it only leaves yourself open that people are going to come to challenge you to take it. I don't want that. If I take this title, people are going to think that I can do this. For his sake right here, yes, it's going to be like, oh, well, you did that, so go take out this other dragon.
And they're going to start expecting things of him. It's true. If this guy started parade around like some war hero, not just Cheeky, even Shaina, Flowing Clouds, and probably even the Blue Panther would turn on him. As someone who seen the fight with her own eyes, she couldn't forgive anyone brazen enough to take credit for it.
>> Would Blue Panther really care? Flowing Clouds?
Shaina? No. I don't see any of them caring.
I don't see any of them coming to go chase him down.
Okay.
>> I was just a no-name swordsman who once dreamed of rising to the top. Sure, you all see me as some cowardly, dirty bastard who doesn't deserve to be called a swordsman, but even a guy like me respects Alex right back as a fellow swordsman. Seriously? Cheeky widened her eyes at Barkle's sudden confession. At that moment, all that crap I've been clinging to, Shaina, my Holy Knight status, my position, my honor, none of it mattered anymore. I was just moved, you know. You let the Blue Panther go, right? So, I figured you'd get it.
>> I guess like not even like the near-death experience aspect of it. It's just strictly the honor of seeing this epic fight and seeing what this guy technically pulled off is what sort of changed them.
Changed how they view their life.
>> Coming from Barkle, the man with arguably the filthiest mindset among everyone there, it carried an odd weight. In truth, before the first strike was swung, no one except for Shaina, who sensed Al's impending loss through her sharp intuition, could even move. It's not something you can explain in words. Given the situation, Cheeky probably could have stabbed Blue Panther after everything was over, but she didn't. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. Only those who were there and breathed the air would understand the overwhelming feeling. Almost like a compulsion to not interfere with the fight unfolding before their eyes.
Again, the element of like the awe of the whole experience itself.
>> By the way, did you hear? Your client got killed.
>> Yeah, apparently stabbed by some drunk on the streets. Pretty pathetic way to go.
>> Yeah, about that. Word it is, the Blue Panthers one who arranged it. What?
Seems like he'd been walking a fine line lately. Pushing himself too hard. If you see him again, make sure to thank him properly, okay?
Why does Why does Barkle know about the client?
I mean, I I I understand this whole thing where he's kind of tied in with this stuff and again there's probably a lot of rumors around here, but it's like Did he Did she say something about that in the cave? I know he brought up the whole idea of like what was going on and they were starting to, you know, a certain conflict, but I don't know if they named the client.
How would Barkle know?
How weird.
Why would the Blue Panther do something like that? She could tilted her head.
There were a lot of people after the heads of the Wild Leopards Mercenary Corps higher-ups. Even in this town, there had been several assassins in similar positions to her. And the fight between the Blue Leopards Division and the Royal Knights might have actually been orchestrated by those same assassins. Again, they technically did clarify that it wasn't Barkle's doing. So, somebody else had to have orchestrated it. There was no point in just killing Shiki's client. No matter how skilled she was, tracking down and killing an executive of the Wild Leopards Mercenary Corps alone wasn't easy. The one that she had killed before was like that, too. He had to taken careful negotiation with other parties, temporary alliances, and precise timing to corner him enough to land the kill. Many of the people she teamed up with along the way had died.
Shiki could have easily died, too.
That's why just taking down one or two people didn't matter. And even if he took them all down, in a few years someone else would hire another assassin out of revenge against the Wild Leopards Mercenary Corps.
This is weird. So, they're implying that They're implying that he did this for Shiki's sake? Question mark?
Or he's just going He's going to the source. But again, they're talking about the idea that a lot of people want them dead.
Come on, that's just the Blue Panther being a softy. He doesn't want to fight with you.
What?
Hm? Why not? It's that camaraderie thing, you know. He probably doesn't want any of us who were there to end up killing each other. I feel the same.
Thanks to that fight, I was finally able to let go of chasing Shayna after all these years. Don't tell me you're different. You still want to kill the Blue Panther?
No.
This I This This part to me I don't I don't I I get I get what Ver Fujin's doing with these characters, but I don't I don't see this. Again, they were talking about this is like a This is a quick moment.
Again, there's an awe aspect for Al and what Al did, but there's no camaraderie thing here.
>> [laughter] >> What The Blue Panther went out of his way to kill the client and assume that she wouldn't still want to kill him or get hired by somebody else?
I know. No.
Again, they're talking about there's there's people constantly trying to get this Blue Panther guy killed. There's there's a chance that somebody else going to hire her.
Eh.
No.
And And Shayna versus Barkle, these are completely different circumstances.
Barkle is trying to cover his own ass with Shayna and wants her dead.
With Cheeky, it's a job. She was hired to do it and she takes her job seri- Eh.
This I don't I don't I don't I don't This is probably not my favorite part of this story at all. This is just my opinion, doesn't feel right. Cheeky shook her head. Now that she thought about it, if it were the old workaholic version of her, she would have carried out the job regardless of what happened to the organization or the client. After all, results were everything. Your track record affects your future jobs.
So, yeah. You should probably pick your jobs a little more carefully from now on. None of your business. Yep, you're right.
>> [laughter] >> Doesn't sound like me at all.
Barkul let out a dry chuckle. They could see the town's western gate ahead. More people were entering than leaving. I want to get back quick, so I'm planning to cross the wasteland of death. You and Shina came through there, right?
Anything I should know? Take the long way around. If Al hadn't found us, both Shiki and Shina would have been dead.
Seriously?
Guess I'll scrap that plan then. Damn.
Shiki came to a stop and Barkul turned back to look. Then, like he just remembered something, Barkul opened his mouth. If things ever go completely sideways for you, rely on the Holy Knights Order. I'll pull some strings.
Tell Al that, too. But, don't tell Shina.
Later.
>> [laughter] >> What is that? Don't expect anything for Well, yeah, it's it's again, this is kind of a little bit too played up, it's cheesy. I None of this Neh. I don't I don't see Barkul doing any of this crap.
But, like it cuz this feels this feels so not Barkul. Like this feels like not his character. Like again, this it's giving a impression that this experience just hit him. Like his brain's been completely rewired by this whole situation.
But, like it still still an aspect here where he's like, "But, don't expect anything for Shina. And don't don't tell Shina because I don't want her to see that I did something good or something like that." I don't know, it's it's goofy.
With that, Barkul walked out of town.
Shiki turned back around and headed into the town once more. Just like Frau, she couldn't help but envy people with a clear purpose.
As for Shiki, right now, she was just bored. She's just bored. A month had passed since Julian had entered the workshop. Shina Maryona was feeling out of shape. The burn she suffered while saving Al had fully healed up just a few days ago. It had gone deep into the muscles of her back. Bad enough, the doctor had said it wouldn't have been surprising if she had died even with Flowing Clouds' swift first aid. The fact that she had made a full recovery without any lasting effects in just a month was thanks to luck and her trained body. I'm guessing in this writing there's no healing magic cuz I technically I don't think they've ever actually mentioned healing magic at any point throughout this entire book. So, I don't I don't doubt it. I mean, they talked about like the holy aspect magic.
Shina had lost consciousness in the King Dragon Mountains and when she woke up, she was in a hospital bed in town. It wasn't exactly a refreshing awakening.
The sky was clear and the sun was high, but it wasn't the sunlight that stirred her. It was the pain in her back. By the time she came to, two days had already passed since the battle. Apparently, Flowing Clouds had nursed her the entire time, but the day after Shina woke up, she picked up and returned to the headquarters of the Order of the World Tree. After that, she came to visit nearly every day. Despite her appearance and attitude, Shiki turned out to be surprisingly diligent. Yeah, cuz you two are going to like freaking get together.
>> [laughter] >> It's like the Yuri in this story is great. Shina and Shiki getting together in the end. Shina had asked about what had happened, but with Shiki's awkward explanations, she couldn't make much sense of it. Only that Al had defeated the King of King Dragons and thanks to that, the town was on a full-on festival mode. That much was obvious just by looking out the window. The Blue Panther only visited once. He entered quietly with a serious face, completely suppressing his presence. Once he saw Shiki wasn't there, he let out a visible sigh of relief and allowed his presence to return.
What is he doing there?
Uh god, dude.
God, he's all all these all these >> [laughter] >> This entire group's going to just [ __ ] get married.
They're just all going to get married.
Uh this is great. I love this.
Looks like Shiki talking around. Didn't they teach mercenary leaders to knock before sneaking into a lady's room? How can I cough if I'm sneaking? Knocking doesn't really make sense. But, let's just say that's how dangerous Shiki is.
So, cut me some slack.
Shina gave him a scolding look and the Blue Panther responded with a cheeky grin.
"So, what do you want?" "Nothing in particular. Just visiting and delivering a message. Can't find the young master, so I figured I'd leave it with you." The Blue Panther told her that Frau had left a message for them before departing. If they ever needed a mage for a party, to give her a call. Then, just as quietly as he came, he told her that he'd leave town soon and disappeared.
"Why did Frau give him the mess >> [laughter] >> It's kind of the communication with these people is interesting. Like everybody's like suddenly just becoming buddies here and there. Like for some reason he feels that it's best to give Blue Panther the note to give to Shayna.
When she could just go and tell her herself, or actually better to give it to Cheeky. So that Cheeky then can give it to her.
Like I got no sense that Frau had any connection to Blue Panther, and I could see Frau having something of a connection to Barcal, because it seems like he's kind of shaping up, and he technically has dirt on her, and so they could have communicated after the whole thing, but anyways, since then, no one besides Cheeky had come to visit. Bored out of her mind, a whole month had passed in no time.
Feeling an uncomfortable tightness in her back, Shayna walked towards the inn.
Someone had apparently covered her hospital fees. Whether it was Cheeky, Al, or Flowing Clouds, she didn't know.
But, she needed to thank them, and also apologize. She didn't have the money to pay them back at the moment. The town had lost its buzz.
The festival was over. But, there was still an undercurrent of excitement in the air. Likely because Julian still hadn't emerged from the workshop.
Apparently, he was forging a sword using every part of the King of King Dragons, from the tip of its head to the end of its tail. Shayna had no idea how you turn a creature into a sword, but with a being that powerful, the resulting blade would undoubtedly be legendary, maybe even worthy to be called a divine sword.
Yeah, yeah.
Neither the Blue Panther nor Shiki seemed particularly interested in such things, but Shayna could understand the excitement of everyone eagerly awaiting the announcement. What about Al, though?
He's bad, isn't he? Shayna thought back on that moment, the instant Al was about to swing his blade just before his foot slipped. See, that's that part.
>> [laughter] >> Before his So, it literally was that one swing.
Just before his foot slipped, a jolt ran down her spine. She instinctively knew the boy before her was going to die. She had jumped in without even thinking what she was doing.
Shayna was a knight. Knights are creatures who valued honor above all else. Without that sense of honor, you can't be a knight. You can't even call yourself one. And aspiring to be one would be laughable.
Shayna wasn't particularly fond of duels, but if someone were to interfere while she was engaging in one, she would take it as a stain on her honor and be genuinely furious. Even now, when her name was a wandering knight and being dragged through the mud and her reputation was at rock bottom, that must have been true even for someone as morally questionable as Barkle.
Of course, Barkle was a kind of man who would never accept a duel without guaranteed win. He was small-minded like that, but even so, once a duel began, he would uphold his honor as a knight.
X to doubt.
>> [laughter] >> I don't know.
X to doubt.
I mean, the position here is a duel, but Barkle like had like his life as a knight and he threw that all away with the crazy stuff that he did.
What is a duel?
What is a duel compared to like his duty as a knight of Millis and to the the lives that were entrusted to him and the people that trusted him with their lives. What is What is a duel to that?
X to doubt again. No, I don't I don't follow that mindset at all.
Al probably hadn't become a knight through any formal process, but judging by his behavior, he must have been properly educated by his mother, the demon king Etafe. And since he aimed to be a hero, he surely would have wanted to beat the king of the king dragons in a fair and honorable way.
There's no way he'd be satisfied.
What do I do?
A sigh escaped her lips. He probably hated her. Just thinking that made her chest tighten.
She felt like crying.
Aw.
Aw. But, there's no point in dwelling on it. I don't regret it. Yes, she didn't regret it.
And [snorts] why would she?
She seen a boy who was going to die and jumped in there. He might not be able to live with it, but he's going to live.
>> [laughter] >> He might not be able to live with it, but he'll live. When she arrived at the inn, Shiki was on the bed wearing a serious expression as she lined up her knives.
All of them had unusual shapes. When she'd first seen them, they looked more like collector's items than functional weapons, but considering how they flew in unpredictable arcs through the air, their design was quite practical.
There'd once been about 10 of them. Now, there was only three. The rest of them probably lost in the mountains. "Kusame, they were a gift from Shiki's master. I took care of them, but I lost eight in one go. It's the first time I've ever lost so many at once. I originally had 20, but huh." Shiki sighed and gently wiped each knife with a bedsheet before placing them back in their sheath.
The bedsheet again.
Then she faced Shina again.
"Feel better now? It's still hurts a bit. By the way, where's Al?" Shina looked around. She had checked Al's room first when she got to the inn, but he hadn't been there. She assumed that he'd been in this room. "Says he's going out to meditate and hasn't been back since.
Then again, it's Al. He's basically immortal. No need to worry."
Even as she said this, she kept cleaning and putting on her knives all over her body with a serious face. She didn't seem too concerned about the number of knives. She was more preoccupied by where exactly to wear the three that she had left. Shina watched her, then untied the bundle of her belongings in the corner of the room. She pulled out an unusual maid outfit. Shina traveled with seven nearly identical outfits. The one that she was wearing had been burned and ruined. She had been in a hospital gown ever since being admitted and it had constantly fell off. There, that's better. She changed quickly and gave a firm nod to herself. Her armor had been destroyed, but it couldn't be helped.
Seeing her, Shiki let out an exasperated voice. "Hey, Shina. I've been meaning to say this for a while now.
Maybe the reason why people start calling you Death God Knight is because you dress in a creepy all black getup."
>> [laughter] [gasps] >> Uh Shina blinked confused.
What nonsense was the small assassin talking about? "That's ridiculous. Maids are the most harmless beings in the world." "Uh-huh.
I'll remember that, but you still don't look harmless wearing that. Appearance is everything." She gave a rare awkward smile. Without her armor, she tried to put on a sword belt and realized her sheath was empty. Shina thought back to where she left her sword. She stabbed Barco with it in the cave and left it there. Seeing Shiki with only three knives, Al probably dragged her exhausted body back to town after defeating the king of the king dragons and couldn't bring back anything else.
Well, what's gone is gone and she could probably manage without a sword in town anyways.
Again, I thought that was a sword that she had, but again it said that it was the swords of the knights wore. "Which way did Al go?" "Out of town. Said just outside the gate. Said it was too noisy to meditate in town." "Hm, that's probably the north gate. When did he leave?" When Shina asked, Shiki folded her fingers and started counting. When she got to 30, she finally looked up.
"About 30 minutes ago or 30 hours ago."
Just as Shina thought that he might be back if it was the latter. Shiki suddenly widened her eyes and said, "Now that I think about it, he hasn't come back even once in about a month.
>> [laughter] >> He'd been He'd been meditating for a while now.
Shiki and Shana both rushed out of the inn.
>> [laughter] >> Alex Ryback sat atop a lonely rock outside of town meditating. Though meditating sounded nice, he was really just lost in thought. He was thinking about the battle, the duel with the King of the King Dragons. It was true, he was alive. He had delivered the final blow.
He still felt the raw sensation in his hands, the feeling of killing someone who couldn't even fight back. Things had gone well up to a point. The hair-thin sense of tension, that strike delivered with perfect timing, like threading a needle, and yet it had been deflected in a completely unexpected way. If Shana hadn't been there, not even his bones would have remained. What could he done to win? He thought about that. At what point had he been in control? No, there hadn't been a single moment where he was ahead. Alan Kadicoot had been reading each other the entire time, right down to the end. So, why did he lose in the final moment? Had Kadicoot used gravity magic to make Al's foot slip? Why did he slip? Because he executed upward slash from below. Since the target was above, he had to plant one foot and brace himself to cut through. Why use such a vulnerable upward slash? Because Kadicoot raised his head, eliminating the upper guard range. Why did Kadicoot raise his head? Thinking through all this, it was to force Al into a low stance. Then, what if he kept the high stance until the very end? The strike would have failed to land a fatal blow, and he was still a lost. It hadn't even been a 50-50 fight. Thinking that would be presumptuous. Just by raising his head, just that one move put Al into a trap from which Kadicoot was guaranteed victory. Not realizing that and foolishly switching to a low stance, how pathetic. If only he could do it over, challenge him again to a proper duel.
But, there would be no rematch. Al had killed him.
No.
Al shook his head. Yeah, that was what I was saying. You guys should go your own separate ways.
>> [laughter] >> See if he heals his wounds or whatever, come back and do a rematch. Even if he couldn't get revenge, he had to find a way to defeat Kajikut. And so, he circled back to the beginning. Why did he lose? What could he have done to win?
Al was stuck in an endless loop of thought. Then he opened his eyes, saying there was a woman in a familiar maid outfit and a girl in a tattered cloak.
Startled, Al stood up. The small birds that had been resting on his shoulders and head flapped away in a flurry.
>> [laughter] >> I think I think those vultures are just waiting for him to die.
Shana, you can't do that. You shouldn't be standing up yet. Shana was taken aback by his desperate expression.
And then she smiled and answered, "I'm fine now. The doctor gave me a clear.
Still hurts a bit though." Really? It didn't look like the kind of injury that would heal in just a day or two.
He thinks he's only been there for a couple days.
Al suddenly felt a strange stiffness in his body and stretched with a grunt.
It felt like he had been sleeping all day. With an exasperated look, Shana responded, "You know how many days do you think passed since I was hospitalized?" What do you mean? Hasn't been but two days, has it?
Are you seriously saying that?
>> [laughter] >> Shana and Shiki exchanged looks of disbelief.
These immortal demons having no sense of time.
Only then did Al finally realize they had actually spent a long time sitting on that rock.
Ah, sorry.
When I start to think deeply, I tend to lose track of time. Come to think of it, I'm feeling a bit hungry.
How long has it been? A month.
I was worried you might be dead.
I wouldn't die in just a month.
Shana had seriously considered the possibility that he might be dead. But Al took it as a joke. After all, he was a son of an immortal demon king. Even though immortal referred to longevity and powerful regeneration, it didn't mean absolute invincibility. Still, to die of starvation, he'd probably have to go a whole year without food or water.
That's crazy even for him being part.
So, Al, after a whole month of meditation, did you reach enlightenment?
Shiggy spoke in a tone of someone casually asking a person who just napped, "Did you sleep well?" But Al answered with a straight face, "Not at all. The more I think of it, the more I can't make sense why I'm alive and Kat could's dead."
"Because she saved your life. I mean, that seems easy enough."
With a distant gaze, he muttered, "Why am I still alive, I wonder?" Sheena, a bit timidly, spoke up. "Hey, Al, are you mad?" "About what?" "About when I jumped in, back then."
"Back then?" Al let out a soft ah and slowly shook his head. "Thought you were the one that was angry at me." "Me?"
Sheena tilted her head. That wasn't the answer she expected. "Why? I interrupted your honorable duel as a knight, didn't I?" "That's not the issue. I'm the one that broke my promise and went back there.
Because of that, you got hurt."
>> So stupid.
>> [laughter] >> He's so simple-minded sometimes, so freaking crazy.
I got to like go back to the whole idea of like that full blood element that I think is is kind of there. That he doesn't really kind of He do- He does talk about it, but it doesn't like get into specifics. "Someone who breaks promises has no right to speak of nice honor."
Uh but yeah, she'd be dead though. But she'd be dead though. "True, but I still interfered, so I guess we're even."
Sheena said that, but deep down, she felt relieved. This whole month she'd been anxious. She wondered if Al hadn't visited because he was angry of what she did. She was afraid that she'd ruined something important. "You saved my life.
Even if you subtract the whole duel thing, I still owe you more than I can say. Our kind doesn't die easily, which is exactly why we fear death more than anything."
Our kind doesn't die easily, which is exactly why we fear death more than anything. I would think that would be backwards.
That sounds kind of backwards.
They'd be more foolish because of that.
That's like Atalfe. If they feared death more than anything because they don't die easily, why would Atalfe in her fighting style be so recklessly offensive, pretty much throwing caution to the wind?
Whereas humans who are mortal, we're much more defensive. We tack on more defenses. We're constantly shielding ourselves.
Al was no exception. That's why he used powerful self-hypnosis to seal away his fear and face the King of King Dragons.
All that talk of resolve and such, it was just a front. Having immortality and not fearing death are two very different things.
Again, a very interesting something we'd kind of feel would be sort of backwards.
As for my honor as a knight, thanks to Chiki's words back then, I was able to let go of it. Huh? Chiki honestly tried to remember if she said anything, then folded her arms and gave a deep nod.
>> [laughter] >> Uh she's going to take it. She'll take it. Chiki is a master assassin after all.
>> [laughter] >> Al smiled and nodded. That's right. The knee immediately turned serious. What I've been thinking about is how could I have won in that moment? What should I have done to defeat Kajikoot? Do you know, Shayna?
Shayna recalled that scene. Her intuition that Al would lose wasn't because she read Kajikoot's moves. It was because Al failed to take a certain action while Kajikoot waited. Huh? Let me think. I guess if you had used a faint before the attack that triggered the gravity magic, you could have dodged it. Then when he raised his head to fire that fire breath and left his chest wide open, you could have stabbed him there.
Wouldn't that have worked? That wouldn't be wrong.
I mean from Kajikoot's perspective, he thought that was going to be a faint.
>> [laughter] >> And then again, he said, "I would have died." So, she's pretty much reading what what sort of a fridge you went with that whole thing there.
It was a straightforward correct answer.
Al was just too embarrassed to admit that he didn't know how to use faints.
At that moment, a sudden commotion could be heard from the direction of the town.
It was as loud as a parade when they carried Kajakut's corpse through the streets. Maybe Julian finished forging the sword. As Shina said that, Shiki started walking. Let's go see. The other two followed. With the setting sun behind her, Shiki walked along with a bounce in her step, acting her age for once. Watching her, Alan and Shina felt like all those thoughts, nightly honor, duels, victory or defeat, started to seem completely meaningless. What mattered most was that they were alive, staying here right now. That was everything.
Yeah. Again, it's the idea of like everything is has value in the world, but like life itself contains all those things.
I kind of as much as it's kind of a dorky little statement back there, it's kind of a very significant statement.
Always put life before everything else because without life you can't have those things. Life contains those things. No matter how much of a quantity it is.
48 swords were unveiled. That many swords were forged from the gigantic King of the King Dragons. 24 were classified as demon swords, 24 as holy swords. Holy and demon swords, paired opposites. Each pair had opposing abilities. Swordsmen would be desperate to get their hands on such overwhelmingly powerful weapons. 10 were donated to the King Dragon Realm. The remaining 38 were distributed amongst many merchants who had been sponsoring the effort. Julian, looking quite satisfied, collapsed from exhaustion the moment the unveiling was done, falling into a deep sleep that looked almost like he had died.
I mean, it implies that he'd been working for like a month. Even a robust demon would end up like that after forging swords non-stop for a month without eating, drinking, or resting.
And the swords he forged captured people's hearts. The colorful blades clearly contained different magical properties at a glance. The swords glowed faintly and were strangely shaped. These swords held such power that they mesmerized not only swordsmen, even ordinary people found themselves enchanted by them to the point that they wished they could wield one themselves.
Yeah, I'm kind of surprised at the merchants. I don't think they ever implied the idea of the merchants taking them. I think they may have.
There's idea that like they gave some to the kingdom and the rest were like going to the merchants and the merchants were going to I guess go and sell them themselves. I hope you have some protection.
>> [laughter] >> I can see those see those merchants [snorts] getting taken out before they leave town or as they're leaving town. Later, countless lives would be lost in battles over these swords, hundreds each year.
But of course, no one knew that at the time. These are amazing. Think you can forge Chicky's knives, too, if we asked?
Would that be too difficult? Chicky's knives are weirdly shaped. Don't call them weird. They're cool.
Wait, seriously? Cool? Back at the inn, Al listened to this exchange while packing up his things. His charred armor had somehow been polished and the laundry he left untouched was now cleaned. He tilted his head in confusion. Chicky did it. Heh. Chicky did it.
Chicky, this. Oh, I cleaned them up for you. Be grateful. Thank you very much.
You'd make a great wife, Chicky.
>> [laughter] >> Chicky's face turned bright red for a moment, but she quickly puffed out her chest and grinned proudly.
Heh. When I'm all grown up, come and marry me. You'd be my ticket to a life of luxury, Al. I'd even settle for being a mistress. Chicky wants an easy retirement. Though, my master always said, "Marrying an assassin means if you cheat, it turns into a real deadly fight. So, it's not recommended, but Chicky's willing to make the Chicky's willing to be lenient about that part."
I hear being a demon king's wife isn't easy, either. Heroes come to attack from time to time. Al said that with a laugh, stuffing everything into his travel bag and standing up. His armor clanked with a metallic rattle. While Chicky and Shina have been chatting, Al had already finished preparing to leave. The two stared at him in surprise. Al, where are you going? I I decided that yet. Hmm. I heard the sword god once defeated my father, so maybe I'll go beat him next.
Or maybe, considering what Katchiko said, I should return to my homeland first. Yeah, either way, I guess I'll head north.
Either way, north?
>> [laughter] >> Your Your homeland's north? That's weird.
Sorry, I should have phrased that differently. It's already night.
Shouldn't you wait until tomorrow to head out? Ashina said that. Al blinked a few times as he considered her words.
Then, he spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. But, there's nothing left for me to do here. Besides, at that moment, someone knocked on the door. So late at night, could it be an enemy? Shena and Shiki immediately tensed. The door wasn't locked. If things went bad, the window would be their only escape route. They exchanged glances, communicated silently. They shouldn't have any enemies in town, but it was reflex.
Door's open. Come in.
Only Al remained completely relaxed.
Setting his He just got done killing a king of the king dragons. Of course, he's relaxed.
Why is this dude going to be panicking?
Only Al remained completely relaxed, setting his bag on the floor and casually opening the door. With a creak, the door swung open. You're Al raised his voice in surprise.
The person who had entered wore a thick robe and a hood pulled over his face.
Dark purple skin peeked out from beneath the hood. I was wondering when this dude was going to come bring him a sword.
I I get but it came down to this idea of like how did they find out it was him because it doesn't seem like anybody wants to kind of clarify the true story here. It's all rumors. Unless all who came there said the same thing to Julian.
And everybody else is just kind of making speculation. It's not being formally announced to everybody else.
Based on what we're getting into earlier, Blue Panther and Bark Hall probably were like telling Julian what the hell happened. Or at least the organizers because it seems like Julian was like, "I got to make this stuff now."
>> [laughter] >> Leave me alone.
Clearly, a demon. He carried a large bag and an enormous bundle on his back, big enough it could be an ore.
>> Forgive my late visit, your highness.
>> A raspy voice. It sounded familiar, and Shina and Shiki exchanged puzzled looks.
Al's face broke into a smile. "It's been a while, Julian. Thank you for your hard work. You must be really tired after all that. Is your body doing better now? Are you all right?"
>> You're very kind. I'm humbled by your concern. Despite my failure to greet you earlier, you're still worried about my well-being. My body is still fragile and weak. I could collapse at the slightest touch, but as long as I can still stand and walk like this, please, think nothing of it. I don't deserve it.
>> With almost exaggerated humility, the blacksmith, Julian Jalisco, bowed deeply. Shina blinked in confusion as Al and Julian spoke in a familiar tone. But then again, he was Al's right back after all, the son of a demon king. Of course he'd be acquainted with another famous demon. Julian suddenly dropped to his knees and bowed low, pressing his forehead to the floor.
>> I heard a rumor outside of the town that the successor of the North God, a boy of the mortal bloodline, had slain the King of King Dragons, and I finally remembered that Kadajuku was your father's killer. I am ashamed that I assigned that task to mere common mercenaries. It was thoughtless of me.
I've come tonight to offer my humblest apology, bowing seven times and then once more, making it eight. I beg your forgiveness. If this wretched head cannot satisfy your highness's anger, please cut it off and send it to Lady Atofe. Her majesty will surely make a fine example out of me in the most humiliating and miserable way.
>> Jeez, dude.
>> Even Al was taken back by the extreme bow and flowery apology.
But once he considered his words, they brought back old memories.
>> Are you sure?
Last time you made my mother angry, you pleaded to be spared because you still had purpose to fulfill. Today, that purpose had finally been achieved. I have no more regrets.
>> The quiet, raspy voice held the tone of a man who had found peace. Despite the serious tone, Al smiled gently.
>> I wonder what he did. It implies that he did something wrong and that he sought to be punished, but he wanted to do something first and now that it's been fulfilled. It kind of makes me feel like he did something really bad before.
And now since it's fulfilled, he's he can die. I see. But please don't worry about it. I was fortunate enough to take my father's revenge with my own hands.
At those words, Julian lifted his head then stopped some unknown human brat who slayed the King of King Dragons, Kajikut. But your highness?
Yes. The battle itself was one-sided and not something I can boast about, but the fact remains I'm alive and Kajikut is dead. Besides, Al glanced behind him and Shina and Shiki silently told him with their eyes, you don't have to say anything more. I'd help.
>> [laughter] >> Oh, he learned what you know, a several other people learned towards the later part of the series is relying on other people. Something that Rudy has to teach other people. He learned in the battle with Kajikut. I had help. Unlike my father, I was supported by my companions. On my own, I never could have made it to the end. When Al spoke honestly, Shina and Shiki both looked embarrassed. They probably saw themselves as bystanders to Al and Kajikut's fight, but from Al's perspective, it was different. Without Shina, he would have been killed.
Without Shiki, his broken spirit wouldn't have recovered. Frau hadn't helped him directly, but without her, neither Shina nor Shiki would have survived. So he can say it without arrogance. We defeated him together.
Aw. Just like the Phoenix guy was trying to tell him. When Al said that, Julian stood up with tears in the corner of his eyes, dropped the heavy bag from his back, tore off his robe, stripped to the waist and prostrated himself again. It might seem ridiculous for a grown man to go that far, but Al knew this is the highest form of gratitude in Julian's clan. It sounds very Japanese. Like one of those moments where it's like it gets so Japanese-y. It's like, why is this Japanese culture stuff like super like ingrained in this world? Where did it come from? I wonder.
Thank you for avenging my dear friend.
Common right back. Thanks to you, I fulfilled the vow of vengeance I swore to heavens and earth the day Cal was cruelly devoured by the King of King Dragons Kajukut.
Okay, so apparently he made uh this so this whole thing was around that.
He literally made this call out and claimed that he was going to make swords for everybody as long as they can kill him. That's why he doesn't want anything.
That is sort of a question mark I didn't really have besides the assumption that he was doing it because he just wanted to make something amazing. No, he did all this and set all this up up because he just wanted to get a bunch of strong people to go kill something.
With those words, he dragged a huge bag and bundle before him. When he unwrapped the bundle, what emerged was a massive thick sword. Shiki and Shina were speechless. The blade radiated a power that could be seen as divine or demonic.
It was a whole different level from the swords unveiled earlier today.
The last one.
The main one.
What's this? The 49th sword and my greatest masterpiece. The coolant used was a brain fluid of the King of King Dragons. The core steel was forged using magic power extracted from his shoulder bones. The jewel steel was created by boiling the marrow of his hardest bones.
The blade was forged by melting the crown and fangs in a two to eight ratio then slowly hardening over seven days and nights using the heat resistance of his flame sacks. The other 48 swords were by practice for forging this one.
That's interesting. I don't know if I've ever really kind of considered that before. That makes sense. The idea of using them as sort of practice until eventually utilizing the the really good materials to make the good part. As Glimmer's voice was filled with pride and Al couldn't help but be impressed. This really is certainly amazing. What's its name? I've named it the King Dragon Sword, Kajukut. With a twisted expression of mixed emotion, Julian declared the name. Al, who had grown up around magic swords, was never particularly interested in them, but this one was different. It had a charm that drew him in. He wanted to hold it, swing it, cut something with it. This must be the enchantment that no swordsman can resist, the magic of the blade itself. And this is payment for the job. By human standards, it's enough to let your descendants live in luxury for generations, but I'm ashamed that it's too shabby to present to your highness.
>> That thing is too shabby?
The Bakujiku blade?
>> I don't really need money, but after all that, Al glanced into the bag and set it casually, then turned to the two behind him. Why don't you split it, Shina, Shiki? Huh?
>> Hmm.
>> Both their faces twitched visibly. The filthy bag was packed full of unfamiliar coins.
>> Oh, okay, so there's there's there's money in it.
Oh, okay, I thought they were talking about like selling the blade for money.
I didn't know they were talking about there was money in the bag.
>> Both their faces twitched visibly. The filthy bag was packed full of unfamiliar coins. Types they'd never seen before in this region. The surface were engraved with faint patterns, but they couldn't tell what country had minted them, or even what kind of metal they were made from. Shina and Shiki both instantly recognized these coins were unusable.
>> What?
>> [laughter] >> What?
They were It What?
>> Shiki doesn't need any thanks. I need money since I have to buy a new sword and armor, but still, I don't think I should be the one to take it. I guess it's because they just don't feel like they deserve it. It wasn't their achievement.
>> Seeing both of them hesitate, Al let out a small relieved smile.
>> He let out a small smile? And maybe a sigh and smiled?
>> I see. You look kind of happy. I've heard that humans tend to be greedy about money, so hearing that you two are different puts my mind at ease. Saying that, Al closed the bag and handed it back to Julian. Shina and Shiki didn't show it on their faces, but inside they were both relieved, glad he didn't think that they were greedy. Julian, on the other hand looked a bit troubled to have his generous hard-earned reward rejected. But Julian, since things have turned this way, could you use this to forge a sword and a set of knives for the two of them? At Al's words, Julian nodded as if convinced. An easy task. I have a small amount of materials left.
I'll finish them tonight and deliver them in the morning. Don't cut corners, okay? Of course not. Though, I've already forged my finest swords, so please don't expect too much.
I think I think no matter what he's going to make is probably going to be incredible.
>> [laughter] [gasps] >> Like I used all the good materials, but there's still like OP stuff in there.
Yeah, I have a couple bones left. It was just before they went to sleep that Shayna and Chiggy recalled hearing that the metals they had seen earlier were from extremely rare materials used in high-end weapons and that some old blacksmiths would even trade such metals as currency. This memory came to them after Julian had asked the two of them in full detail what kind of weapons they needed and quickly left.
Okay, so that that's not gold. It's not money, it's it's metals.
It's precious metals. Interesting. Which again makes sense because I don't think he had He wasn't getting money for any of this stuff. He wasn't getting anything for the stuff. He was He was gathering the money and funding to pay the individuals to do the work and then everything was going back to the merchants. He just Again, he just wanted the dragon dead. The next day, Al was outside the town. His destination, north. The demon continent located in the northwest. Okay, yeah.
A little bit off here of the central continent. He needed to report this to his mother that he avenged his father, killed his mother's old comrade, and that the king of the king dragons had been transformed into 49 swords. A letter might have sufficed, but for something this important, it's best to say it in person. He considered his route to the demon continent. Ships sailed from the king dragon realm to the Millis continent, but the holy kingdom of Millis hated demons and the beast folk forest to the north of Millis wasn't friendly to demons either. You know, a lot of this stuff is kind of again a little bit off to the mainland series fine. That continent was no place for demons at all. Al looked mostly human, but those like Julian would notice. So, the best path was the same one he came by through the wasteland of death following the coastline to the port and boarding a ship. It wasn't exciting, but you remember the road best by walking it both ways. Al Just as Al was thinking about stepping towards the wasteland, a sharp voice called out behind him. There was a hint of anger in it. When he turned around, he saw Shayna clad in shiny armor and a fresh cape fluttering in the air and Shiki still wrapped in her usual rugged cloak running towards him. Al smiled as he noticed a brand new sword at Shayna's waist. "Oh, good.
Looks like you both got your weapons forged. Julian might not seem like it, but he can be a bit loose on deadlines.
Honestly, I'm surprised that he finished them on time. Hope he didn't cut any corners." When the two reached him, they stopped and tried to catch their breath.
They must have been running pretty hard.
"Did you forget something?" He was pretty sure that he hadn't brought anything that would cause trouble or that was worth worrying about. But when he asked, Shayna shot a sharp glare still breathing heavily. "Trying to leave without saying goodbye? That's just cruel." "I see. My apologies.
Thought we said our goodbyes last night.
But now that you mention it, I guess we did leave things halfway through, huh?"
"As long as you understand." Shiki wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. Seeing the brown streak it left, likely from the dust, Shayna frowned and pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe it off.
The two of them, dude. I swear.
>> [laughter] >> The two of them watching that, Al thought they're like sisters with a big age gap. "I'm going across the wasteland of death and following the coastline back to Demon Continent." Even though Kajicoot was dead, the wasteland wouldn't return to normal. It would take hundreds of years for the mana to gradually fade away. "Crossing the wasteland of death? That's not going to be easy. Are you in a hurry?" "No. It's the shortest path. Going around the King Dragon Mountains would take a month.
Besides, I can make it across the wasteland without food or water." Al said that like it wasn't a big deal, but Shayna pursed her lips. You say, "You can do it." But what about us?
>> [laughter] >> Are they going to go with him? I don't remember them really mentioning like them following him everywhere that he went until he lost the sword, so they're going to have to part ways at some point. Eh?
You should consider us, too. Are you planning on carrying us after we collapse? Shina joked, and Al tilted his head, thinking about for 3 full seconds.
He reached one conclusion. "Are you coming with me?" When he asked, Shina gave a sad look.
Is that a problem? No, not at all, but didn't you and Chicky come to the country with your own goals? Are you sure? Chicky immediately answered with a blank expression. Chicky's job ended while Al was off snoozing, so it's fine.
Her organization had been destroyed, and her client had died, so the job had fizzled out. But as far as she was concerned, that still counted as finished. Oh, I see. What about you, Shina? I'm a knight. My only goal is to join the Royal Knights of the King Dragon Realm. That's why I joined the King Dragon Subjugation Mission. But now, the Royal Knights are gone. That group is gone, but it's not like [laughter] the entire Knights Order is gone.
What is this? Is this an excuse? Is this a Is this an excuse to get out of there?
Yeah, he even he's even seeing [laughter] even he's saying it. She's just looking for an excuse.
If you wait in the capital or the town, wouldn't they eventually just form another order? That's true, but Oh, that's right. Al, you weren't there, so you didn't hear what Poop Panther said.
Looks like the Caspar Kingdom is about to invade the King Dragon Realm. That meant that recruitment would begin. Al figured that out immediately. Perfect timing, then. Listen, the King Dragon Realm has lost all of its Royal Knights.
There's no way they can win against the Caspar Region, especially with the Wild Leopards Mercenary Corps on their side.
Coming to a knight in the country that's about to fall, that's just pointless, isn't it? Yeah, are they about to fall?
>> [laughter] >> Are they about Are you sure about that?
Are you sure about that?
They just got themselves 10 really nice swords, potentially more. Good point.
Then, are you going to go look for another country? With my bad reputation as a death god knight, no big nation other than the King Dragon Realm would take me. Ah, so maybe I should just ask you to hire me, Al. She said that jokingly, but Al took it seriously. If that's what you want, leave it to me. My mom might make a sour face about hiring a knight, but I'll do my best to convince her. Ah, but the death god's knight under the immortal demon king sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?
If I put it that way, she might actually go for it.
She has a She has a soft spot for flashy stuff.
Yep, [laughter and gasps] that sounds about right.
That sounds great.
Ah, before she like goes and train her and breaks her.
Hey Al, while you're at it, hire Shiki, too. Shiki just lost her job, after all.
You, too, Shiki? I hope there's an opening for an assassin squad. If not, I don't mind working as castle maid.
>> [laughter] >> Shiki's a maid?
Well, then, even if it's a bit of a detour, shall we take the route around the King Dragon Mountains? And so, as they chatted happily along the way, the three of them began their journey to the demon continent. The tale of the subjugation of the King King Dragons had come to an end, and with that, a new story was being forged. The new legend of the North God had just begun.
Epilogue. The final. This is it. The end.
In the depths of the demon continent lies a labyrinth known as the library labyrinth. Interesting that it was mentioned back here, when again, the whole segment that was added in the light novel had the library labyrinth. So, he had already talked about a library labyrinth back here, so it wasn't completely fabricated later.
Where copies of every book in existence throughout the world were said to be stored. This is because the eccentric sage who resides in its deepest part uses his vast knowledge and clairvoyance to replicate all the books found across the world. No one knows how long he's been in the labyrinth or why he does such a thing. All that's known is that he's been there since long ago, endlessly creating replicas of books.
This labyrinth contains every kind of book imaginable. While none of them can be taken outside the labyrinth, it's said that some of them include the now lost original text of the Mills Church or secret manuals of legendary sword styles, but finding such rare volumes would be like finding a pearl dropped in a desert. Most of the books are things like personal diaries or notepads with only one page used. The journal in question was brought back by an adventurer who had explored the library labyrinth. According to him, it wasn't something he pulled from the shelves, but something he found amongst the belongings of a decaying corpse in a forgotten corner of the labyrinth. The nameless untitled journal contained a vivid and detailed accounts of what has now become a long-forgotten tale, the subjugation of the King of King Dragons.
When it was discovered, people dismissed it as a work of fantasy. They said there was no way that a 49th sword existed.
They said the North God II, meaning the Death God's Knight Shina and Thief Chiquita, happened much later.
They said Frau Claudia, the former leader of the Order of the World Tree, never took part in the subjugation of the King of King Dragons.
I s- apparently this is where she goes.
>> [laughter] >> They said there was no way the virtuous and upstanding former commander of the Holy Knights Barkle had ever been some low-life thug.
Aw, so he's going to shape up even more.
This whole experience has fixed him. I mean, granted again, a lot of his misdeeds are kind of covered up by his own actions.
And besides, doesn't the King Dragon Realm still exist as a powerful nation even to this day? Everyone claimed to be nothing more than delusions of some nameless corpse, but it was from an unexpected place that the truth of the journal was finally revealed. Oh, this is my father's handwriting. Wow, this takes me back. How many centuries has it been? He used to tell me these stories all the time when I was a kid. The one who smiled happily as he read the journal was someone who had inherited the founder's name, the third to bear the title of North God. North God Kalman III.
>> [laughter] >> And that's where that starts.
And so, a new chapter was added to the legend of the North God. That chapter titled The Legend of the North God Prologue The Subjugation of the King of the King Dragons. It would later be published as a novel by a writer and become a massive bestseller, but that's another story. There is just one thing that could be said for certain. The goal of the boy, Alex Ryback, had indeed been fulfilled.
And that's is Subjugation of the King of the King Dragons. My gosh. That was good. That was good. I think overall that was a That was a really good book.
I I was honestly not expecting too much from this this entire book and that was partly because some people were kind of pooh-poohing it. Um there's obviously the factor of it being like an early writing from him that, my god, it shows.
>> [laughter] >> This is This is definitely, uh, writing-wise not one of Refugian's best-flowing stories and it has a lot of really rough hang-up points.
Like the whole beginning segment with, uh, and this is getting into my my tier-listing of this book amongst everything else. Like early moments of the story having way too much like explanation and information being just dumped on you rather than it kind of having a better like like introduce all these different groups in their own way to make it more interesting rather than having a big a big massive wall of text that's just hitting you and just berating you on the spot. Um there's several other points later on where it feels kind of a bit of an off. I I think especially towards the later part. And yes, technically having a lot of the fight kind of just it doesn't flow well. I think the fight in the end, even though I think it starts really good, I like the tension that was built up, it doesn't flow well.
The fight itself doesn't flow well. It doesn't make sense in a lot of regards.
I like I mentioned before, it felt like it kind of gave a hint that the not much rain got inside there, but then a lot of rain got inside there. He slips. And then it talks about how the fact that it torched an entire like forest, but they were technically supposed to be in a cave. It's hard to envision what exactly is happening. Is that I guess the part where I get to. And then this later part I feel is a little bit me. And I think how every character sort of concludes feels a little bit off, especially for Rufujian. I think Rufujian is really good at characters that are very nasty that you kind of grow to respect in a certain way.
These just feel like everybody just kind of fixes. Because they witness what they witnessed, everybody fixes and they all become good people. And it's just like, nah.
I don't buy that. Especially I don't buy that with from Rufujian. I don't buy that from Rufujian, but whatever, it's it's fine. It doesn't doesn't completely ruin everything, but at the same time again, I acknowledge that a lot of this stuff isn't isn't technically fully canon. A lot of it does feel kind of very separate. Again, I do agree that there might be a lot of this stuff that is technically canon. It's just the history books were written by the victors basically scenario. And the stories themselves, the stories that people tell in often cases can be either overblown or wrong in a lot of cases.
So, it's it's it's still cool in the end.
It's still cool to kind of see this journey. And I think the biggest kind of issue I think with its continuity to the main line series is that a lot of this doesn't feel like Calumon II. Because again, the story that we got of Calumon II, his journey and until eventually he feels that the sword itself is too much power and it's taking away from his own power. He relies on it too much.
It doesn't feel like this Calumon.
This Calumon feels like he crewed up a lot right here. It doesn't really match up with that one.
But, that's all for me to get into sort of what I come to conclusion on this one, which is I think this one probably falls in the area of probably a B. I think this is a I think it's a solid B tier volume of Mushoku Tensei overall. Again, even though it's not actually Mushoku Tensei.
>> [laughter] >> It's this prequel story, but I I I think amongst all the other volumes and stories that we've had for this series, this is like a B area. I I think a solid B area. It might crouch into the C, but I enjoyed it in the end. I think it's B because I I just enjoyed it. I think despite its flaws and everything, it was just a fun ride. It I just enjoy I just enjoy Alex. I enjoy this character a lot, and I think China and Shiki were really good additions to his story. They helped kind of spice things up, give a little bit of fun in there. Um chemistry overall. So, it worked out really well in the end. So. That all said, what a what a what a book what a book. I I I enjoyed it in the end, and that subjugation of the King King Dragons, like I said before, I think the big question mark at this point is where we go.
I don't know.
>> [laughter] >> I don't know. I really don't know at this point, and it's concerning because um it's being so late in the week for me to get this started, and I guess I technically still have a good week to kind of consider it, but I'm I'm probably going to have to think on it a little bit. I might just go ahead and just read Roxy Gets Serious and just get on and talk about it.
I might just do a video separately about Roxy Gets Serious um I'm not being a premier.
I kind of do want to do a premier, but I think it's just going to come down to what it turns into being. I don't know at this point. Um but it does sort of lay us in line with the idea that this could potentially be the last Mushoku Monday.
I This could potentially be the last Mushoku Monday. I don't know. Um if you guys see me talking about this right here, it's probably being considered. If not, then there's a chance that I've found something else I want to talk about and make a magical Monday on, but either way, that's not here or there.
It's been a It's been a long journey. It has been a long and very interesting journey, and if we don't come back here, it's going to be a It's going to be It's going to be hard to accept. It's going to be definitely hard to accept. It's been my Mondays for several years at this point, so it's going to be a very very emotional one to kind of give up on.
I had a lot of tears here. I had a lot of tears, a lot of emotion, everything, but I'm not ready to really be 100% committing on that quite yet. So, stick around for a little bit longer.
We'll We'll see how it goes, but that's it. That's it. I hope you guys enjoyed this magical Monday. As always, if you did, again, make sure to hit the like button. I greatly appreciate guys' support, your kind words, all that stuff. It means a great deal to me. And yes, like always, greatly greatly appreciate guys' support, channel monetary, the Patreon, tips, links, super thanks, memberships, all that stuff. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
But, until the next magical Monday, if there is one, >> [laughter] >> there's going to be at least one if it's not going to be a premiere. It's something to be Roxy Gets Serious at least, but you all take care.
My mom make My mom make My mom My mom make My mom My mom My mom My mom My mom
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