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By Satoshi Shiki
Afternoon KC Deluxe Comics
publisher: Kodansha
ISBN 4-06-334055-4
781 yen

p. 30
Keiko: (walking into the room, she sees Ishigami sitting on a bench) !! Oh my God...... Are you Ishi......gami......Kamu......ro?

p. 31
Ishigami: (looking surprised and standing up suddenly) !!!

Keiko: (stepping back) Kyaa!

Ishigami: (breathing heavily from the pain of his wounds) Who are......you...... Why do you know my name......

Keiko: Um......you can relax......Misao Mikogami and I are almost like family. I've heard a lot of things from Misao, so......

Ishigami: You're Misao's......

p. 32
(Keiko bandages up Ishigami's wounds)

Ishigami: (looking over at Beniguma asleep on a couch) Why is that girl here?

Keiko: ......She said she has no home to return to now because she lost to you. We can't just......leave her.

Ishigami: (looking over at Keiko) Why not?

Keiko: Why not? Because...... (she looks at Ishigami for a moment, but his expression is unchanged) Whatever, if I try to argue that with you, I get the feeling it would only expend precious energy.

p. 33
Keiko: (suddenly remembering) Oh! And don't try to fight her here!

Ishigami: I have no business with those who've been thrown away. I don't care what she does.

Keiko: (putting away the first-aid kit) Now then......I want some explanations. What happened back there? Where did Misao go? And------What are you people?

Ishigami: ......Alright. We are-----

Keiko: Ah! Wait! Wait!

(She looks for her cassette recorder)

Keiko: (pressing record) Okay.

p. 34
(Ishigami begins his narrative)

In ancient times......the world maintained discipline and harmony through the natural philosophy called "Amanari no Michi". That is to say, the world was composed of five elements: Void (Utsuho), Earth (Hani), Wind (Kaze), Fire (Ho), and Water (Mizu). The universe was made from these five elements, and as time passed it would converge and reduce back to those original elements.

Of course, humans are also composed of these five elements and will return back to those states, unable to escape the laws of nature. In that sense, they are just one part of nature. From the view of "Amanari no Michi", there is no distinction between humans, animals and plants--all are equal to each other.

Originally, humans--the legitimate descendents of the gods--were just one group, the people of the earth (hanibito). But due to repeated cataclysms in nature, they became scattered all over the world. With climate changes and the aftereffects of the cataclysms, humans in every region began to evolve in unique ways. Then, five thousand years ago, the five clans were formed. These are the "Kegai no Tami". The ancient Kegai no Tami followed the "Amanari no Michi" and lived in harmony and equality. They constructed an ideal world in which everyone coexisted and prospered alongside nature.

p. 35
The Kegai no Tami possessed powers that followed the five elements set forth in the "Amanari no Michi". Namely------

Hanibito------the power of "earth"
Mizubito------the power of "water"
Hobito------the power of "fire"
Kazebito------the power of "wind"
Utsuhobito------the power of the "void"

But as civilization developed, the Kegai no Tami distanced themselves from the teachings of "Amanari no Michi". They began to lose the will to coexist with nature and foster mutual prosperity. And along with that, their powers steadily weakened. In other words, they became what you call "human".

p. 36
One thousand years ago, heretic beings that completely went against the laws of nature as set forth in the "Amanari no Michi" suddenly appeared.

They were not composed of the original five elements, and enjoyed destruction and slaughter. Vicious creatures that pierced the harmony and discipline of the world, they are the "88 Beasts".

p. 37
The 88 Beasts appeared over the land and their slaughter and destruction knew no bounds. At this time, humans had already lost their powers, and all their efforts to fight back were futile. They were pushed to the brink of collapse.

------When that happened, five warriors suddenly appeared in front of the 88 Beasts and barred their path.

With overwhelming power, they banished the 88 Beasts to another dimension and sealed the entrance.

p. 38
Those five warriors who had inherited the pure blood of the Kegai no Tami were their true successors--the "Unyielding Kegai no Tami".

p. 39
After losing in the fight against the "Unyielding Kegai no Tami", the 88 Beasts implanted a suggestion just before being sealed away in another dimension. They manipulated the genes of the Void, Fire, and Wind people so that after a thousand years, when the Earth's spiritual magnetic field had reached the peak of evil, it would be the signal that would make the descendants of the Void, Fire, and Wind people work to release the 88 Beasts.

p. 40
For that reason, when the time came, the Void, Fire, and Wind people would go from being the same Kegai no Tami as the Earth and Water people, to becoming loyal slaves of the 88 Beasts and turning against the Earth and Water people. The dimension in which the 88 Beasts were banished is sealed by the strong spirit waves emitted from five places, the original homes of each "Unyielding Kegai no Tami". Each place has a torii which eminates those spiritual waves. In order to guard against the torii getting damaged either by natural or human disaster, the five Kegai no Tami clans continue to inhabit the area around the torii.

p. 41
If the 88 Beasts can destroy the five torii, they will be able to return to this land. But because the five torii were made with the bones of five Beasts, their stoutness is unparalleled and they are impervious to physical attacks. There is only one way to destroy the torii--by coming into contact with the fresh blood of the "Unyielding Kegai no Tami" protecting that specific torii. Only the fresh blood of the old enemies of the 88 Beasts will dissolve the bone of the Beasts. The reason the three Kegai no Tami clans are after the Earth and Water clans is to find out where their torii are and at the same time, extract fresh blood from them. In other words, kill them.

p. 42
Ishigami: And I------am a man of "earth", who came into this world in order to stop the return of the 88 Beasts, and to protect the woman of "water", Misao Mikogami.

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