Once there was an adventurer party called the Silver Tigers.
Their leader, Bishot, was a man of rare intelligence for a Tigerian.
He was my older brother.
The Mechasteel Moonhell...
That Labyrinth was like a living creature that sought out our blood,
and our lives, and stole them without remorse.
But we wouldn't let that place get away with it.
We found "them", we defeated them, and stole everything they had.
And without his genius, that would've been impossible.
He attained every kind of wealth and fame imaginable,
and died just like you'd expect him to.
A small, miserable death, without a trace of intelligence or dignity.
And that's why I thought to myself...
You can't believe in humanity!
Start talking.
No one ever saw a trace of the treasures you stole, not even on the black market.
I have one special secret.
You have it with you, don't you?
One of the things we stole from the labyrinth that night...
How'd you figure it out?
You've decided to start talking?
If you hadn't figured it out,
you would've lived to have a nice drink at the tavern tomorrow.
A treasure that was too dangerous to sell, and too dangerous to use.
Come forth! Sword of Destruction!
Life's a gamble, people say.
And that's true for us Tigerians, too.
Tonight, my gamble was that...
Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World
I don't like it.
"Gambling Lesson"
The wealthy patron.
Dealer! Hurry it up!
And I'm calling him Mr. Gigolo.
Of course.
And then the dealer who's robbing him blind,
along with the small-time shark who wants to make some pocket change.
I don't like it.
I'll have no problems crushing them all.
There's a reason we're here.
After the Mathematics Bare Knuckle,
we made some decent cash and split up to take a break.
Infuriated Grape Ice Cream
Infuriated Grape Ice Cream?
The ice cream at the casino's supposed to be really good.
I'm willing to take you there, but once we arrive, we split up.
I'm basically here to watch over Kizuna.
Sold Out
Okay, we're all sold out!
What? What's going on?
Do you know how long I've been in this line?
Please come back soon!
How dare you treat me like this?!
Just you wait! I'll be back!
We'll be waiting!
Crap. We didn't get what we came for.
Since you're here, why not enjoy some gambling?
I can't gamble. I have ethics rules installed.
Wow, look! Anti-magic paint!
You're correct.
Everything used in our games has anti-magic on it.
That's an expensive way to stop cheaters.
Thank you.
WELCOME
Where are you, Nick?
I can smell you!
They want me to join in and take some money from Mr. Gigolo, too?
I see. They're making it pretty obvious.
Sure, I'm in.
In the end, I'll take you all for everything you've got.
But right now, it's Mr. Gigolo I don't like.
Damn it!
You tricked me!
Tricked?
Who tricked who?
Don't be silly. That's why we're all here, right?
You've got no talent for gambling.
Or rather, you're no gambler.
What?
If you can't play with your own money,
then go home and bet with your friends for penny candy.
U-Um, are you trying to get him to give up?
No real gambler would pass up the opportunity to take three easy marks.
Thanks.
I'm not one to tell other people how to live their lives...
But why not ditch the guy?
Is it that easy to throw someone aside?
It is.
Both throwing someone away, and being thrown away.
Is that true?
Knowing when to give up is what makes a good gambler.
Once you get attached, you start making mistakes.
Will I ever be able to be a gambler?
You already are, right?
Some guys will keep betting on the dark horse, and then win big in the end.
Wh-What?
A-A monster!
Donny?
It'll eat me!
A monster!
A monster?
Nick!
Come on out, Nick!
What am I doing?
Where am I?
I'm just looking for Nick...
I realized...
On that day, I realized...
Yeah. He never despaired.
I hated him. I was jealous of him. I was envious of him.
I wanted to be like him. I was miserable because of him.
I don't even know...
I can't even remember which of those feelings were real anymore.
Well?
This is what you wanted, right?
It's been a long, long time, Leon.
Are you finally ready to use me?
There's a man I want to kill.
The pants-pisser here?
No, he's not here.
You remember his smell, right?
Yeah, I'll never be able to forget that awful scent.
Then I'll evolve your senses, so that you can find him with your own sense of smell.
The wonders of modern technology, huh?
Don't be silly. This technology is hundreds of years old.
You've all regressed greatly.
I'm joking.
Evolution!
Where are you, Nick?
His smell's coming from this way?
What's a monster doing in the casino?
This is bad.
I handed over my weapons when I came in.
That smell... I know you.
You were with him, weren't you?
S-Someone you know?
No!
Where's Nick?
Nick? You mean that Nick?
That shithead Nick!
The one who's big into idols?
The one who set us up in the Mathematics Bare Knuckle!
The one who complains about little stuff far too much?
He definitely is someone you know, right?
The one who kept calling me a kitty!
Which means you're...
Someone she knows!
I'm Leon!
You're that Leon?
See? I knew you knew him.
You've changed a lot since I last saw you.
What do you want with Nick?
What else? I want to break him in half.
And you think I'll hand him over?
That's up to you.
I'm curious to see which you value more: your own life or Nick's.
What do you expect me to say? My life or Nick's...
Hey, choose your next words carefully.
My enhanced sense of smell can even sniff out lies.
The second I know you're lying, you're going to end up a stain on the carpet.
It's pretty loud out there.
What's going on?!
My life or Nick's...
It's a stupid question. One with only one answer.
But if I say it, I'll end up as a carpet stain.
I'm sure of it.
Hey, you.
Why did you think you could use me as a hostage?
What? Because if I threaten the life of one of his comrades...
What's so funny?
Comrades, huh?
So does that mean, even to a villain like you, we look like comrades?
What are you saying?
We're not comrades.
None of us trust each other.
We're a group of adventures who don't believe in humanity, or each other.
You can't believe in humanity!
I see... comrades, huh?
Do you understand the situation you're in?
Of course I do.
I guess we do look like comrades, then? That's funny.
You...
This is pretty pricey stuff.
The pipe's made from a spirit tree.
And the leaves are specially grown in the south.
I guess this is my last smoke, though.
Oh, right. This igniter's a little different.
It's got a special thing where you can disable the limiter and...
Lightning Flash!
And you can do little attacks with it!
Crap!
Once something changes, it never goes back to how it was before.
That's what my brother always said.
That was a big burn... and it's already healed?
That just now told me how you really feel.
You there!
She's your money ticket, right? Protect her!
Quickly!
I-I'm not with Bell for the money!
Hurry!
We're not comrades like you think.
We're just people who've lost everything,
leaning on each other to keep from collapsing entirely.
We'd never help each other if it meant we had to risk something that mattered to us.
What?
I don't smell a lie.
She means it...
No, this is...
The smell of hope and resignation.
Pathetic.
I guarantee to you that even if you take me hostage, Nick won't come for me!
Then...
die!
Oh, a big cat.
You know this guy?
That's right.
I can't have you dying on me.
'Cause having you around is to my benefit.
So you finally came, huh?
Hey there, big cat.
You haven't changed.
Nick, be careful! He's not who he used to be.
Used to be?
Do I know any big cats?
You do! I used to be a kitty!
So you've started admitting it.
You knew who I was!
Wait, Leon.
There's one more here.
What?
There's one more here.
What did you say?
You've finally noticed, huh?
So it's you, Sword of Bonds!
I should've known it would be you, Sword of Evolution.
Hey, who are you talking to?
He's talking to his sword, too?
He should be.
But the owner is only barely keeping the sword under control.
It's been centuries since last we met.
Begone instead of trying to get in my way.
That's not possible.
Then, I'll get rid of you by force.
Leon, I'll bestow upon you my full grace!
Irrational Moonlight!
You're kidding!
He got bigger again!
That's crazy! His wielder won't survive that!
He's swallowing up not just their body, but their mind, too.
Hey, big cat!
If you get too big, you won't fit on the roof when you go to sunbathe!
We can't even talk to him, huh?
Kizuna! Union!
Will it work?
Try it!
Okay...
Union!
Wh-What is that?
Who is that?
Ice Age!
It's so cold! What is this?
Ice Shield!
It's not working, huh?
No... What am I doing?
Why am I doing this?
I won't make any money... I won't make anyone happy...
This isn't what I wanted to do!
Stop it!
I just wanted to rough him up a little bit!
I sent people flying.
Guards, innocent women, and children alike.
These expensive-looking decorations...
This place where everyone has fun... I've wrecked it all!
That's right.
Your power can destroy a place that was once filled with smiles with a single strike.
It's fun, isn't it?
To have overwhelming power.
Look. Everyone is in awe of your power.
They flee, knowing that death awaits them at any moment!
Stop it! Stop!
It's too late. This is what you've always done.
Ice Shield!
When you took me from the Mechasteel Moonhell Labyrinth on that day,
you were already like this.
That's why you were able to hold me.
No!
I just wanted to be an adventurer, like my brother!
But he's dead.
Ice Spear!
That's right! He was killed by assholes who I thought were comrades!
A bunch of cowards who he did everything for,
but who couldn't do anything without him!
That's right.
That's why you hate people.
I had the right to!
Sure you had the right.
And then, little by little, you loosened the rules,
until you had the right to look down on everyone!
Life's easy when you're better than everyone else, right?
'Cause you don't need to think about anything more than that.
That's how I justified it.
When someone tricked me, it was their fault,
but when I tricked someone, it was also their fault.
That's why you were chosen!
And you grew up just like I hoped!
You're wrong!
I'm not.
My powers will never evolve in a way their bearer doesn't want.
I wasn't a bad guy from the start, either!
I'm not a bad guy!
This is what you wanted, Leon!
Stop it!
Somebody stop me!
Somebody... save me!
Nick...
Who's there?
Don't get in my way!
I have to evolve him into the strongest hero!
Stop it!
Ice Coffin!
The anti-magic paint on these cards deflected the magic of the Sword of Destruction.
With the light that brings evolution sealed, its wielder is cut off from those blessings.
Simple, but very clever.
Thank you...
The same thing happens every time.
I'm a small-time villain.
My whole life's been this revolving cycle.
We're just people who've lost everything,
leaning on each other to keep from collapsing entirely.
Stupid girl...
That's what a comrade is, right?
You have a visitor.
You come to see the tiger in his cage at the zoo?
Yup.
He's lost a lot of weight in a short time.
His race is tough, but that wasn't the only reason he was strong.
He was only able to buy time in our fight because he trained every day.
It's a waste.
The building's a mess, but nobody died.
So I should've smashed the place up more?
Maybe.
You'll get out of shape fast in a place like this.
I sealed that sword away.
So that blonde girl was...
We've got a secret between just the two of us, huh?
I see...
That woman was...
Don't tell anyone.
Oh...
I thought it was weird that anybody but you could beat me.
Nick.
You can't get drunk on beer you paid for with money earned from lying, right?
I'm sure.
Next time: "The Beautiful Paladin"
Next time: "The Beautiful Paladin".