Chapter 38

* Title Card
* Cover Page

## Chapter Chronology

**Opium** is the thirty-eight chapter of the manga *Choujin X.*

## Summary

As soon as she wakes up, Mado, the Nightmare Choujin and Director of Yamato Mori, writes down in her diary the notable events she has dreamed of, such as terrorist attacks and violent Choujins episodes.She will later welcome Tokio and Ichiiro to the audience chamber, complimenting their contributions to Iwato. Even if they have just returned, she would like the boy to participate in the special task force against Zora, as the woman's powers have weakened and they believe the time has come to put her out of action with a combined attack of all the Yamato Mori forces. Under Sandek's advice, she will give him a few days of rest before leaving with the mission.

However Tokyo wants to make a request: the chance to speak with Zora to keep his promise to think about the proposal of the previous Choujin X and understand more about her prophecy. Although Ichiiro tries to stop him from disrespecting Mado, the woman replies harshly that there is no point in arguing with Zora, as her visions are no longer accurate and credible. Following the meeting, Ichiiro apologizes to the director for his protégé's insolence but the woman believes it is proof that the boy has a pure heart and can grow, while his instructor thinks he will have to shape him a little more like himself.

Tokyo, however, feels depressed, thinking that he will no longer be able to integrate into Yamato, when suddenly Ely happens in front of him. The two who haven't seen each other for a long time, chat a bit about what happened this year. She explains that after the battle of Omega Tower, Noh Mask took advantage of the confusion and difficulties of Yamato's higher-ups to break out quite a few Choujins held in prison, such as Nari and I.C.ICE. However, the organization has captured many and tells how Azuma is committed to the maximum research, thinking that he is really good at cornering the enemy as his father is a cop. Plus she too has honed and understood her thieving powers and I promise her friend to tell him a secret later.

Ely, driven by curiosity, tries to get the boy to talk about her experiences and Tokyo tells how Iwato was infested by an absurdly strong Choujin: Haken King, and how the region had become a wasteland and at Iwato Mori there were few who were remained. Tokyo had made new friends among the Choujins of that section such as Cristiano, Maureena and Frogman, the director, who welcomed and helped him. However all three were killed during the operation against Haken, explaining that the photo of the article she saw, in which they were all present and healthy, had only been taken for the previous operation in which they had eliminated the fearsome Choujin's right arm and he had wanted a picture with everyone. The mission against Haken had instead turned into a massacre that deeply marked the boy.

Tokio is happy that things are going better here and apologizes for having left them without saying anything but Ely forgives him, inviting him to put the past aside. However, someone else still has some grudges, such as Azuma, who coldly arrives to inform Ely that the meeting with Arthur will be at 6 pm. When Tokio asks him if he too could participate, he is simply told that it is not up to him to decide but it shouldn't be a problem. Ely invites his friend to have a "real" talk with Azuma as soon as possible and resolve their issues.

While the boys were talking, in Minami City a mysterious girl carried a deceased body through the alleys until she reached her base called "Grinning Village". While talking to herself, she prepares the body on an operating table and, cutting her veins, uses her blood to get it into the body's circulation. After waiting for a few hours, the body started to scream and shake madly. Completely calm, the girl explains to herself that in a time when the dead can come back to life they represent a better economic choice than the living, before packing up the zombie and writing an "instruction booklet" on how to use the being.

Back at Yamato Mori, all the Keepers who will take part in the mission against Zora are gathered in front of Arthur One, chief administrator of the organization, who will instruct them on the details. In fact, the time has come to launch **Operation Old Market**, from the name of the oldest market in Minami City, which has also become the largest black market in Yamato. After the police had cleaned it out, in the last decade it had returned to be the den of all kinds of criminals, allowing trafficking in weapons, drugs and people. Furthermore, in recent times the **Don in Minami** has hired some Choujin as bodyguards, making the market an unapproachable area for the police, who have left it to the Yamato Mori. When Tokoo wonders what Old Market has to do with Zora, Azuma explains that the woman is a drug addict.

Recounting how this started, Arthur explains that about eighty years ago Quiem, the President of Guelta, started the Great Choujin War. Guelta's forces were made up of Choujin soldiers who had gone through military training and combined with their leader's technology quickly crushed their opponents. However, the Choujin, despite their ability **Raise** which allows them to return from life, have a weak point: pain. On the battlefields there was pain and death in the most intense and continuous form and some soldiers began to suffer to the point of refusing to come back to life. Despite this situation Quiem continued his crusade against Antland. In this region his forces were pushed back by Prince Antitis' counterattack, eventually having to retreat and leading their leader to realize the morale degradation of his Choujiin.

Changing his strategy he decided to aim for Yamato, a prefecture with a strategic resource: opium, as the locality was full of poppy fields. Quiem himself had been a drug addict since entering military service and wanted to supply his entire army with drugs to continue the war. However in Yamato he found his way blocked by Sora Siruha. Thanks to her infinite powers, the young girl engaged Guerta's Choujin X in the battlefield for three years before putting him to flight, making his troops realize that she was his counterpart and someone able to even surpass him.

After this event Sora allied with Antitis forming the Allied Forces and finally Quiem was defeated by the Prince of Antland in 1927. However the war was not completely over and Sora continued to fight against the remaining violent Choujins. Already during the war she had fought strenuously and with each **Raise** her pain was only increasing, leading her too to depend on opium to lose the sense of pain. However, over time this also caused her to lose consciousness and consequently self-control ... and for a Choujin this only meant **Chaos**, to the point of losing her human form. Aware that in a direct confrontation with Zora they could still lose, **Operation Old Market** aims to eliminate the woman's opium supply to weaken her.

While all the other Keepers begin to discuss the mission and the opportunity to solve two problems in one, Tokio wonders when the operation will begin. Received the response that it will start in three days, the boy states that they shouldn't do it, to the confusion of everyone present.

## Characters

* Tsukiko Mado
* Ichiiro Sato
* Tokio Kurohara
* Hoshi Sandek
* Ely Otta
* Nari Tsumuji *⟨Mentioned⟩*
* Noh Mask *⟨Flashback⟩*
* Haken King *⟨Debut⟩*
* Cristiano *⟨Debut⟩*
* Maureena *⟨Debut⟩*
* Frogar Piokotam *⟨Debut⟩*
* Tokio's friend *⟨Mentioned⟩*
* Azuma Higashi
* Unknown Girl
* Arthur One
* Michelangelo
* Michael
* Viner Smith
* Gibran Smith
* Quiem McMann *⟨Flashback⟩*
* Antitis *⟨Flashback⟩*
* Sora Siruha *⟨Flashback⟩*
* Maho Tagawa
* Denku
* Maiko Momoma
* Simon Kagomura

## Location

* Yamato Prefecture
	+ Yamato Mori
	+ Minami City
* Iwato Prefecture *⟨Flashback⟩*
* Antoland *⟨Flashback⟩*
* Omega Tower *⟨Flashback⟩*

## Navigation

 **Volume 6**
 **Volume 8**

 Tower of Mourning Arc