Original subtitles

The Legendary Hero

Hey. Sorry to keep you waiting.

All right, before we get started, would you mind telling me one thing?

What's that?

Uh... you know...

Is the vice commander... Is Fanatio dead?

She's alive.

She should be receiving treatment now.

Is that so? Then I won't go so far as to take your life.

I don't like it.

What's that, youngster?

Since you're on a floor this high up,

does that mean you're the leader of the Integrity Knights?

Yeah. That's right.

Then Fanatio isn't your only subordinate, is she?

Eldrie and the Four Whirling Blades, not to mention...

do you care at all whether Alice is alive or dead?

Oh, is that what this is about?

How should I put this...

Eldrie is young lady Alice's apprentice,

while the Four Whirling Blades, Dakira, Jayce, Hoveren and Geero,

they're Fanatio's apprentices.

And Fanatio happens to be my apprentice.

I'm not one to carry my personal grudges onto the battlefield,

but if someone kills my apprentice,

I do feel obliged to at least avenge her... that's all there is to it.

Well, it's possible that little Alice looks up to me as her mentor,

but frankly, if we were to fight seriously, I don't know who'd be stronger at this point.

If it were six years ago, when she first became a knight, it would be a different story.

Well, I have no intention of losing to you,

nor do I think you defeated her, since she's as powerful as me.

According to the prime senator, you have a partner, right?

Since he's not here, that must mean he's dueling the young lady somewhere right now.

Well, something like that.

By the way,

after I've slashed you, who will show up to avenge you?

Don't worry. I don't have a mentor.

The Norkia style secret skill, Lightning Slash! No, it's similar, but not quite it.

Holding his sword straight up like that would require extra motion before activating the skill.

In that case, I'll strike first with the Aincrad style secret skill, Sonic Leap.

I haven't seen that stance before, youngster.

By any chance, are you a continuous attack wielder?

What does it matter if I can use continuous attacks or not?

Oh, it's just that some of the dark knights from the Dark Territory also used continuous attacks,

and I fought them a couple of times, but they're not really pleasant memories.

After all, I couldn't pull off those spastic, dexterous skills if my life depended on it.

In other words, you're telling me to fight using conventional moves, like an Integrity Knight?

Oh, no. Continuous attack or whatever... go ahead and use it as much as you want.

And don't take this as retaliation, but I'm going to use my trump card early on, all right?

If that sword is already under Perfect Weapon Control,

then my only chance will be to unleash Sonic Leap while he's activating his skill.

Integrity Knight Commander Bercouli Synthesis One...

...is coming!

Bercouli!

His swing slashed through that spot a moment ago.

That was a bit too close, wasn't it?

I didn't expect you to charge at me that ferociously.

Sorry. I almost killed you.

What was that move just now?

Didn't I just tell you that I'd use my trump card?

It's not like I simply sliced the air with that swing.

What I did, so to speak, was to slice the future a bit.

Slice... the future?

The first time I saw those dark knights' continuous attacks,

I'd only just started as an Integrity Knight.

The sword techniques ingrained in my body were all about unleashing the force of a single strike,

while the continuous attacks focused on how to handle incoming strikes and land your own.

It's obvious which is more practical.

You can bet I was beaten senseless at first.

Then I thought about how my sword could hit my opponent.

And the answer was this here.

Originally, this sword was part of a Divine Object called a "clock"

that was installed on a wall of the Central Cathedral.

I'm told this clock had existed since the world was first created.

The pontifex called it the "System Clock," or something strange like that.

Little Alice's Osmanthus Blade slices through the horizontal axis of space,

while this one pierces the vertical axis of time.

It's called the Time-Splitting Sword, the blade that pierces time.

The force from that sword's strike stays in the spot it passed through.

Which means I don't stand a chance in close combat,

so long-range combat is my only option!

System Call. Connect Armament. Search Archived Memory. Extra Core. Image convert.

"In that case, I'd better attack from a distance..." that's what you're thinking, right?

Everyone who's seen my move does.

Including Fanatio and Alice, the Integrity Knights summoned after me

tend to pick a long-range Perfect Weapon Control art

because they saw my move... or maybe I'm mistaken.

Those guys may not look it, but they're a pretty competitive bunch.

However, let me warn you, I've never lost to any of them in a match.

Well, I can see myself being beaten by little Alice one of these days.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to this.

The chance to see the skills you used to repulse one knight after another.

You're so confident.

Are you going to approach me, youngster?

Let me say, I won't hold back this time.

Enhance Armament!

That's when...

Lend me your strength,

Blue Rose Sword!

Release Recollection!

Listen. There are two phases to the Perfect Weapon Control art.

Enhancing and Release.

Enhancing and...

Release?

Enhancing awakens your weapon's memory by sections,

causing it to manifest as a new offensive skill.

And Release, as the name implies, awakens all of your weapon's memories,

unleashing its savage power.

Ah, I get it.

Eldrie was able to extend the range of his Frostscale Whip and cause it to split by enhancing it.

And the whip transforming into a snake, that was the Release, huh?

That's correct. However, it's still too soon for you two to use the Release art.

Wh-Why is that?

You heard me say "savage power," didn't you?

The offensive power generated by the release of memories

cannot possibly be controlled by a swordsman who's only just learned the art.

All the more so when it's a high-level Divine Object.

You could get dragged in along with your opponent, so one wrong move,

and you could lose your life.

I never thought I'd see a swordsman throw away his sword while facing an opponent.

Did you come up with that way of fighting yourself?

No, my partner taught it to me.

He told me everything on a battlefield can be used as a weapon or a trap.

I see. Taking advantage of your surroundings, huh?

Well, I admit that you won this round,

but I won't concede defeat like this!

The Blue Rose Sword contains two sleeping memories, eternal ice and the rose.

Eternal ice has the ability to freeze everything.

And the rose's ability is...

Bloom! Blue Roses!

Wh-What did you do?

These roses are blooming because they're absorbing our life.

You brat. You...

Don't tell me you intended to take us both out from the start?

Please don't get the wrong idea.

I might be superior to you in just one area,

and that's in my total amount of life.

Based on your appearance, you must've been over forty when you became an Integrity Knight.

Needless to say, your maximum life has decreased.

My life, however, is nearing its maximum.

Even though I received a blow from your sword, my total amount should still be higher.

That's what I bet on.

What did you just say?

I became an Integrity Knight?

You talk as if you know all about our past lives.

That's exactly what I can't forgive about you people.

You've forgotten who you were.

You've dedicated your swords to the Axiom Church, without knowing what it really is,

and act like you're the sole guardians of justice and the law!

You're not a divine knight summoned from the heavens by the pontifex.

Your mother gave birth to you, and you were given the name Bercouli...

you're a human like me!

Bercouli, you're the protagonist of a fairy tale in my village.

What are you saying?

You should recognize my sword.

That's true... from somewhere...

Right, that day...

when I killed the guardian dragon of the north, there was a sword like that in its lair.

Did you say you killed it?

Those dragon bones...

...that was your doing?

Did you kill the dragon that appears in your own story?

Have you really forgotten all of it, Bercouli?

In Rulid, the village where I was born,

you're a hero known by everyone, young and old.

The pontifex abducted you, sealed away your memories,

and turned you into the first Integrity Knight.

And it wasn't just you.

Fanatio, Eldrie, even Alice,

it happened to all of them.

Before they were turned into Integrity Knights, they were humans just like us.

Sealed away my memories, you say?

I can't bring myself to believe your story just like that.

But the story about me being a divine knight summoned from the heavens...

For some reason, I couldn't accept it for a long time.

Now this is a beautiful sight!

This won't do. This won't do at all, Knight Commander.

Surely you don't intend to drop dead now, do you?

That would clearly be treason against Her Eminence, the lovely pontifex.

When she awakens, she's sure to be livid!

Prime Senator Chudelkin,

a snob like you has no business meddling in a battle between swordsmen.

How could you say such a thing, after going so easy on this vile traitor!

Knight Commander, you neglected to use the other side of that Time-Splitting Sword, did you not?

You could've slaughtered that loathsome brat before he even said a word, if you'd had a mind to!

That's what I mean by treason against the pontifex!

Shut up.

I fought with everything I had.

Besides, I know you deceived me.

This kid isn't an assassin from the Dark Territory.

Compared to an ugly lump of meat like you, he's way—

You shut up!

Or I'll tear your head off!

We wouldn't have this hassle in the first place if you damned knights weren't so utterly useless!

Seriously, when Her Eminence awakens, every one of you knights...

well, at the least, you and the vice commander will be reprocessed.

What did you say, you bastard?

System Call! Deep Freeze!

Integrator Unit, ID 001!

The fact is, we don't need a geezer like you anymore, Number One.

I've discovered a pawn who could be much more useful, haven't I?

Alice.

Eugeo?

What's the matter?

U-Uh, no, it's nothing.

I think we can continue climbing the wall once the moon rises.

If we can just create wedges, it shouldn't be too tough.

And it doesn't seem like there are any more minions stationed above us.

It's just that, aside from the matter of resources,

I'm so hungry, just thinking about how many more mels we need to climb makes me dizzy.

That's why I find you to be so unserious.

What's so devastating about missing a meal or two? It's not like you're a child.

Yeah, yeah. I'm just a child.

I mean, I'm still barely a growing teen.

Unlike you Integrity Knights, I have to eat or my life will plummet.

I'll have you know that even Integrity Knights get hungry too,

and unless we eat, our life is depleted.

Hey, hold on! Sorry! Of course you're right!

Sure, if they're alive, even Integrity Knights get hungry.

Um, come to think of it, back at Cardinal's...

Hey, a gift from the heavens!

See, I found something good.

Why would you keep something like that in your pocket?

Tap my pocket and find two steamed buns.

But these won't taste good as-is, right?

System Call. Generate Thermal Element.

- Burs— - Are you an idiot?

If you do that, they'll be burned to a crisp in an instant!

Right...

Wha—

Generate Thermal Element.

Aqueous Element.

Aerial Element.

Vortex Shape.

Burst.

H-Hurry, give me one!

I'm joking.

I see.

I didn't think you could steam buns without any tools, just elements.

As expected of Selka's older sister, since she's such a great cook.

What did you just say?

I said you have a younger sister.

Younger sister?

I'll tell you about it.

I don't know if you'll accept it or not,

but I'll tell you everything I believe to be true.

Speak. However, if there's any trace of deceit in your words,

I will slay you on the spot.

Next time: Recollection.