Episode 22

**The Karma** (宿縁 *Shukuen*) is the twenty-second episode of the *Dead Mount Death Play* anime.

## Official Blurb

Civil confronts Solitaire, hoping to provoke a confrontation with the Fire-Breathing Bug, but he may get his wish sooner than he planned. Meanwhile, the Corpse God plots a rescue mission.

## Synopsis

In a penthouse overlooking Shinjuku, Lulu despairs over the stone Elemental's deadly response to the Bastard Children of Sabaramond underlings. Civil A. Sabaramond encourages her to take comfort in how none of those men were innocent. Soara Habaki takes umbrage with how brazen the Bastards were in their attempt to 'shut down' the trio, something Civil says they only did out of fear of Fire-breathing Bug; such fear, he reminds Soara, was so great as to compel the Bastards to flee Japan and build their base in Europe instead. The Bastards are afraid that Civil might leak information that gets them burned.

The Bastards' fear is not unfounded. Civil decides to draw every last Bug to Shinjuku by advertising his presence in the city so that he can smush them in a single swoop.

**Opening credits.**

Kuon Higuro asks Phantom Solitaire why he visited the Abandoned Building and whether the giant flock of hands was one of his magic tricks. Solitaire asks in turn why Higuro is curious; Higuro informs Solitaire that he may have already achieved his goal—the same one that the Bastards have pursued for the past one hundred years—and warns him that, as the eye of the current storm, Solitaire stands to lose his life for real this time.

Momoya Agakura cackles so hard at the Kuon Higuro-Ryouma Kannagi deepfake video that his sister Kana Agakura tells him to pipe down. He says he feels so sorry for Higuro that he just might forgive Higuro for ditching him back at the warehouse. On the other hand, he is envious that Higuro has apparently befriended Solitaire, the video's producer, and would appreciate it if Higuro could obtain an autograph on his behalf. He sighs and wishes that Majiri Agakura could only get along as well with "those kids" as Higuro and Solitaire do with each other.

Majiri spots Corpse God's building from a rooftop vantage point and entertains the possibility that Xiaoyu Lei is currently therein. She asks Bao, who is fixated on her cell phone, if she knows. Bao ignores her. With a respectful bow, Majiri says that the two of them are relatives-to-be since Xiaoyu is Majiri's future younger brother. Bao ignores her. She sweeps Bao into a waltzing position, knocking the phone from Bao's hand in the process, and tells her not to bother with calling for backup.

Just before the phone hits the floor, Majiri sees that Bao was composing a long text message, the general sentiment of which is "The evil woman who stole your limbs wishes to steal you from me, so I shall kill her and win your limbs back," albeit in much more intense tones. Majiri had approached Bao knowing only that she was a member of the Heilei, but now she realizes that Bao is Yenmei Lei, Xiaoyu's older sister.

Flashback
In a meeting between Bao's father and three presumably high-ranking Heilei members, one of the men argues that the Heilei are well rid of an incompetent who lost to a female Agakura. Bao punishes him for his insolence by cleaving his lower jaw, and then his left arm when he tries to retaliate. Her father says that she is so fierce that she even tried to kill *him* after he announced his intention to make Xiaoyu a ting-fu. Bao tells the dying man not to insult her brother.

Present
Majiri assumes that Bao wants revenge for her brother and his lost limbs. Bao replies "not quite," for as great as her hatred is toward Majiri for hurting Xiaoyu, so is her gratitude; those injuries allowed Xiaoyu to escape his cursed family. Her reason for homicide is much simpler: anyone who intends to steal Xiaoyu from her must *die*.

Corpse God takes Xiaoyu jewelry-shopping, explaining that gemstones contain Magic and that he needs to refuel his supply if he is to recharge Xiaoyu's draconic arm. In retrospect, Xiaoyu understands why Sayo Shinoyama had previously instructed him to buy "all those junk stones" from all those stores. He points out that it would be far cheaper for Corpse God to purchase raw gemstones in bulk, but Corpse God says that clear, large gemstones contain more mana than most do. As much as Corpse God wants to gather resources for recovering Polka Shinoyama as he does money for magical purposes, he is nevertheless reluctant to ask Rozan Shinoyama for assistance on that front.

Xiaoyu silently recalls that, when discussing the unhappy prospect of whether or not to tell Rozan that his son was kidnapped, he almost entertained the idea of rescuing Polka and therefore rectifying his mistake—that he, as the oneShinoyama guard aware of the plush's significance, failed to protect Polka—without Rozan ever learning of it. He buries his face in his hands and whispers "I'm the worst."

Corpse God asks, "Because you were halfhearted about protecting the real Polka-*kun*?" Mortified, Xiaoyu objects that this is none of Corpse God's business. Corpse God suggests that it probably is and invites Xiaoyu to confide in him. The two leave the shop and settle down on a bench, where Xiaoyu confesses that he never truly hated Polka until "recently." It bothered him how Polka took both Rozan and his birthright as Rozan's biological son for granted. How could Polka treat as meaningless the very bodily ties that Xiaoyu lacks? Xiaoyu yearns to but can never be Rozan's real son, all the while watching Rozan's real son fail to treasure his lot in life.

Irritated with himself, Xiaoyu says that he is only making excuses, that his feelings boil down to mere envy, and that he is, frankly, pathetic. Corpse God reveals that his own father sold him when he was a lad and later stabbed him to death for nothing but greed, so he also envies familial blood bonds. Still, he can tell that the bond that Xiaoyu feels between him and Rozan is just as strong, a feeling which he is sure must be mutual, and advises Xiaoyu to treasure it; to lose a bond as strong as that is a terrible hurt no matter whether or not it is one of blood. With the memory of losing his own found family precisely that kind of hurt, Corpse God renews his vow to enforce peace unto this world.

Lemmings calls Takeru Shinoyama to report that he has finished with his main job and will return in three days' time. Takeru eyes the "private event" scheduled for 6 PM on Lemming's day of return and says Lemmings has excellent timing.

Two days to go
The day after the kidnapping, Corpse God apologizes to Takumi Kuruya for giving him so much work on such a short notice. Helping Corpse God with his peaceful world scheme is his job, Takumi responds modestly. He returns his attention to a National News Network article on recent bizarre phenomena and remarks that Solitaire "seriously never quits."

Comps-3 members huddle around laptops to read the same name NNN article, which describes how a bicycle and sign rose into the air in broad daylight while flyers advertising Solitaire's arrival fell from the sky. Danjō Tozawa supposes that Comps-3 ought to pretend to prioritize this latest stunt given Tsubaki Iwanome's leadership role on HQ's Solitaire task force. Iwanome, however, thinks that this trick is too mundane to be Solitaire's doing. Whether another troublemaker like Deux Ex Kinema is playing copycat is a question that pales in significance compared to the one on Iwanome's mind: just what connects the recent major Shinjuku cases, and how deeply?

Rubble and construction material hover in the nighttime space between Solitaire and the copycat, the latter of whom stands in shadows. Solitaire says that for him, hunting 'the organization' is an adventure. For the copycat, however, he surmises it is fodder for the copycat's latest documentary film. "Isn't it, troublemaker emperor of Ikebukuro, Deus Ex Kinema-*kun*?"

Lulu, holding the Polka plush like a shield, steps forward and apologetically says that she is not that person. Solitaire asks out loud, "Who's she?" as Civil and Soara join them. Civil introduces himself as a fan and tosses Solitaire a rolled paper in lieu of a business card. The paper bears the true version of the "Byadian Imperial Crest," as Civil calls it.

In Corpse God's residence, Misaki Sakimiya asks Corpse God if he really summoned one of his [Framrodia Byandiraz|friends' ghosts]]. Corpse God stops jotting down diagrams of Magic circles and clarifies that his friend technically summoned himself. Misaki is mainly interested in the fact that Corpse God *did* have friends in his home world, and, when he emphasizes that he treasures her and Takumi as his friends too, points out that he and they have not known each other for very long. Although that is true, he admits, his master used to say that long-lived necromancers cannot measure friendship by temporal units.

Misaki asks if he befriended his dead friend as quickly as he befriended her and Takumi. Corpse God fondly recalls that his friend was the one who "came on [very] strong" from the start. Ultimately, they became dear friends and partners in mischief. As his attention drifts back to his notes and his worry about whether he has dragged everyone into 'business' with Polka's abductors, Misaki pulls his cheeks into a smile and says she got Corpse God involved with Polka in the first place, and moreover dragged him into her world when she tried to kill him again. People dragging each other into each other's lives is inevitable, she continues, so Corpse God might as well "drag everyone into what [he thinks] is best" when the time comes.

Besides, she adds, she *wants* to be dragged into Corpse God's business. She wants to save Polka too.

Civil has explained to Solitaire that he wants to advertise his relation to Sabaramond however Solitaire sees fit, even if it entails dancing on Solitaire's channel. The prospect of dancing space aliens (as Solitaire calls it) amuses Civil, dismays Soara and Lulu, and interests Solitaire, though not nearly as much as one would expect. Nor does all the floating rubble and equipment, for that matter.

"Doesn't this situation excite you?" asks Civil.

Solitaire admits that he *wants* to be excited. Then he causes at least three objects to rise into the air, replicating Lulu's feat with simple stage magic. The otherwordly trio are impressed.

Kōzaburō Arase, Iwanome, and other Comps-3 members arrive at the building where the fire with sixteen victims took place over one hundred years ago. According to Iwanome, a wealthy Shinjuku dynasty paid a fortune for the building after the incident and have owned it ever since, although their descendants live elsewhere. No one has ever attempted to sell it, although its exterior seems to have been fixed up. Arase wonders whether coming here is worth their while since it is irrelevant to the Solitaire investigation, but Iwanome is willing to assume otherse. Troublemakers are self-centered folk who never seek each other out, obsessed with their own goals as they are. As of late, however, Solitaire and Fire-breathing Bug's respective goals overlap so closely that Iwanome believes the two troublemakers have begun a serious collaboration.

Solitaire say that he will be delighted to assist Civil on one condition: Civil must manage to *survive.* Numerous Bugs sing a farewell song from the scaffolding as they burst liquid fuel middair and set it ablaze. Although Solitaire likes to think Fire-breathing Bug has enough morals as to refrain from using fuel that can harm him by proximity, he plays it safe by holding a traffic cone over his head and running to shelter, from which he is able to overhear and see what follows.

Civil blasts some experimental wind magic that he has "been meaning to test" at the fire, which disperses, though he is not satisfied with his attempt and concludes he needs to "follow the proper steps." The Bugs emit fire rapid-fire at him. As he defends and counterattacks, he expounds on Fire-breathing Bug's origins—as best he understands them—and propagation before suggesting that Bug is doing to him what his elders did to Bug's forefathers, except Bug is worse when it comes to sheer numbers.

Fire-breathing Bug agrees unequivocally. They are evil. Once they finish burning out the Bastards and their ilk from Earth, they shall "vanish from within" the innocent people they have harnessed. For now, though, they pull a vanishing act via a smokescreen. Civil, who had been eager to fight them, dispels the smoke with a magical gust of wind. He determines that Bug took their meeting as an opportunity to evaluate his combat strength rather than incinerate him on the spot. Revenge, it seems, has not made rash. The same cannot be said for a certain moth who thoughtlessly flies to flames, Civil adds, as Soara snatches Solitaire before he can sneak away.

Soara wonders whether Solitaire knows where Fire-breathing Bug's hideout is. Offended, Solitaire asks if he really looks like someone who would sell out a friend. The trio unanimously answer in the affirmative. Civil rebuffs the trivial ersatz secret Solitaire offers in lieu of the hideout's location and instead asks why Solitaire visited 'that building' in Shinjuku after the dirigible stunt. Perhaps for its fortuneteller?

Solitaire suggests that Civil already has the answer. As he escapes Soara's grip, he posits that the summer bug might be heat resistant, and at any rate, plunging into fires might be the only means of seeing certain worlds. He encourages Civil to 'bewitch' him with a magical world some other time, as tonight he has other business. For the sake of that world, one free of tricks and illusions, he shall plunge into the fire over and over again, he says, and vanishes in a flurry of playing cards.

Civil is glad to have come tonight, for this encounter has managed to slightly quench the thirst he has felt since birth. Soara asks him what the "wind-cannon thing" he blasted at the fire was. He replies that it was something he decided to try on the spot. It worked. Magic is something he has only ever used to enhance his internal physique, he says, since he is a failure that was meant for the copied mind and memories of Arius Sabaramond, that sorcerer whose name the organization still clings to despite Arius himself never crossing over.

Magic spells are things Civil has never been able to cast, as a failure. "Polka" externally tampering with his mana made him wonder if he could do the same in reverse. Thus did he spontaneously attempt it. He tells his companions that he likes them, for they make him think of the homeland he has never seen, but simply having reminders of that homeland is not enough. Earth is not lawless enough for him, so he yearns to return to the world where he was made. If he cannot, he hopes to find something here that can cure his boredom.

The Grocer calls Civil, who asks if they should exchange introductions. Grocer says that is unecessary, as Civil has been patronizing Grocer's store since before it relocated. Civil assumes that Grocer has the information about Polka, his family, and Polka's mother Kanon Shinoyama that Civil requested. Polka, in Lulu's arms, tilts his snout upward.

## Adapted From

* Chapter 69
* Chapter 70
* Chapter 71
* Chapter 72