Episode 23

**The Declaration** (宣戦布告 *Sensen Fukoku* lit. "Declaration of War") is the twenty-third episode of the *Dead Mount Death Play* anime.

## Official Blurb

The day of the showdown arrives. The Corpse God and friends prepare to rescue the real Polka while other forces maneuver in the shadows. But a surprise visit from the kidnapper himself takes events in a direction no one expected.

## Synopsis

On a street at night, Phantom Solitaire apologizes to a shadowed figure for being late and asks them what the 'fire' is that they want to show him. As someone whose friends call him a 'summer bug,' Solitaire hopes the fire is worth flying into.

**Opening credits.**

Tsubaki Iwanome is elated to find documentation about the century-old fire in Miyabi Hosorogi's rental garage unit. He and Kōzaburō Arase had been prevented from exploring the site of the fire by the building's caretaker, whose identity was confirmed by the building's owner; these documents will serve as a sufficient substitute for an on-site investigation. Iwanome thanks an absent Hosorogi for his foresight and promises him that he will expose the darkness called Sabaramond.

Youtoukorou has closed for the night; Urai, Izuna Ajishiro, and other employees clean the premises. Koruto Ichinose asks Lisa Kuraki what the plan is for tomorrow Lisa's plan is to simply sit back and observe the lengths to which Corpse God is willing to act, though Lisa shall still make "preparations" within her capacity as a mediator.

Shinoyama Security's offices have closed for the night. While waiting for the elevator, Yomogi tells Takeru Shinoyama that the foreign trio have not acted since yesterday's meeting with a man believed to be Solitaire. The bird's-eye photograph she shows him captures multiple people carrying 'fire safety' umbrellas. Takeru wonders if these people might be Fire-breathing Bug.

The ensuing afternoon finds Corpse God, Takumi Kuruya, Misaki Sakimiya, Sayo Shinoyama, and Xiaoyu Lei talking in anticipation of the 6 PM meeting with Taipei, and Kochou Eightport. Regardless of whether or not Takeru decides to provide assistance against the foreign trio, Corpse God thinks he personally will be able to hold off Lulu's Elemental during the rescue of Polka Shinoyama. Speaking of, Takumi points out that they might want to call Corpse God something besides "Polka" to avoid confusion during the rescue, though he remembers that Corpse God's real name is practically impossible to pronounce in Japanese.

Corpse God confesses that he pretended his name was impossible to pronounce because he wanted to avoid the unpleasant memories that his name carries. He starts to tell them his real name only to interrupt himself, having noticed that Polka and the foreign trio are on the move.

Yomogi relays to Takeru a field agent's report that the two women (Lulu and Soara Habaki) have left their hotel. Takeru wants to know the status of the third foreigner.

Said third foreigner, Civil A. Sabaramond, has avoided both the detection of the Heilei personnel and Takumi by using the [Abandoned Building]] to enter "Polka's" building, though his intention is to befriend Polka rather than harm him. Presuming "Polka" has lived life confused and seldom understood due to his Elemental Eye, he explains that Polka inherited the Eye from his mother, Kanon Shinoyama—aka Kanomshelin Redrazalf, an otherworlder like Civil—and her forebearers, making the Eye something to embrace rather than fear.

Tears well in Corpse God's eyes. Kanomshelin Redrazalf is *his* mother, not Polka's—or so he thought—yet there she is, he realizes, smiling alongside Rozan Shinoyama in Polka's earliest memories. He had thought that he failed to reincarnate in the corpse of a kinsman as intended; he was wrong. He had thought he would never hear his mother's name again, having failed to save her in his past life, and he hopes beyond hope that she enjoyed a peaceful life in this world.

Corpse God smiles, wipes his tears, and demands that Civil return his *little brother* to him, for they have much to talk about. It dawns on Civil that Polka's soul might actually reside within the shark plush, not Polka's body. but that is irrelevant to the fact that he is speaking with someone who seems to have ties to the Byandy Empire and therefore has a mutual enemy in Fire-breathing Bug. He invites Corpse God to partake in Bug's extermination.

Corpse God asks Civil if he knows Arius Sabaramond. Pleased, Civil replies that he is something like Arius' bastard child, though the two have never met.

With Soara and Lulu apparently en route to Polka's building, Takeru calls Taipei and tells him to handle the women as he sees fit.

Corpse God declines to join Civil's organization and adds that Arius would have never tried to deflect his responsibilities like Civil does when Civil blames Hideaki Habaki for the inhumane experiments on children. It irks Civil to be considered wanting compared to the man who abandoned his 'offspring' in another world, but he nevertheless asks Corpse God to at least show off some of his power. Corpse God obliges by seizing Civil with a large skeletal hand; he thanks Civil for talking for as long as he did, as this gave Corpse God time to prepare spells.

The humanoid skeletons rising from the floor must be products of necromancy, according to Civil's book knowledge. Arius had close connections to three necromancers, including Easlies Swordfrail and...

Magic surges around Civil as he intently asks if he is speaking with the Corpse God, fourth-ranked sorcerer of the Byadian imperial court.

Eightport reaches Polka's building and amps herself up in anticipation of her big scoop. Above her, glass shatters as Civil and Corpse God fall from a window, mid-grapple.

Fire-breathing Bug intends to implant their will in Lulu and consequently use her to burn her organization from the inside out. Police swarm the walled perimeter of Bug's homebase as a swarm of Bugs approach its exit, though only Arase, Danjō Tozawa, and Ranmatsu Yatsu personally accompany Iwanome when he accuses them of being Bug and describes their existence and origins in detail. The building's caretaker acknowledges his claims but challenges him to prove their past crimes, which he admits would be all but impossible to achieve in court. That is why he seeks to charge them with the active aiding and abetting of Solitaire instead.

Solitaire runs toward Polka's building with binoculars in hand, eager to witness "the moment this world flips over." Soara does likewise and arrives in time to foil one of Corpse God's spells, which are altogether sophisticated compared to the amateurish ones that Civil has been recklessly unleashing. Xiaoyu attacks her on the rooftop while Misaki attacks Lulu on the street, intending to retrieve the shark plush in Lulu's arms.

Civil rapturously declares that of all magic practioners, only necromancers can revolutionize this boring planet because they are exclusively capable of proving the existence of souls. If Corpse God refuses to upend Earth, then he and Civil should pool their power and bore open a hole to the planet where they truly belong. Fortunate is Civil indeed to have met not only met a necromancer, but an extremely powerful one at that; he thanks Corpse God for providing him with so many examples of spells during their short association.

Only a prodigy or someone particularly brilliant could form the massive magic circle that Civil is forming now as a mere amateur. It unleashes a torrent of fire at Corpse God serious enough that the raincoat-wearing Bug on a rooftop more than a block away can see clouds of smoke and firelight. Sabaramond's choice of weapon comes as no surprise.

On a planet like Earth, it should be impossible for Civil to have managed elemental sorcery without Elementals. Yet he *has* managed it, which is precisely why, Civil argues, a freak like him who is incompatible with Earth must either leave or transform it, just as the Corpse God—rather, the "Emperor Slayer" Rizdilusia Redrazalf—once did the homeworld. someone who transformed his own world once before. All the reports and books about the Byandy Empire's major figures that Civil had reread as a child had captivated him, seeming more legend than history, let alone his own heritage, so it is with insatiable desire that he wants the fairy tale character Corpse God to perform more fairy tale magic.

Xiaoyu's training with the dual-fanged tiger Rafa & Gufa has enabled Xiaoyu to read and counter Soara's nearly identical body cues. He has not felt a need and prefers not to use his trump card of a right arm, believing Soara is not in the same league as that of Majiri Agakura or Lemmings. As if on cue, Lemmings intervenes. Blood spatters the ground.

The stone Elemental has retaliated against Misaki without regard for Lulu's or Misaki's feelings, not that Misaki or her feelings are particularly hurt by the large sign she has to push off herself. Nor is she surprised when Lulu refuses to betray her duty by relinquishing the shark plush. Even the various street objects rising into the air do not seem to especially faze her; all they amount to, ultimately, is an obstacle she must overcome if she is to rescue the real Polka.

Takumi, while monitoring all three confrontations via his computer, worries over whether Corpse God can keep a handle on the situation. Corpse God agrees that his alien presence on Earth inherently causes inherent discord. Therefore, after he gives his brother his body back, he will quietly disappear from this world—but first he must stop Civil.

Magic spills from his palms to the ground and sprouts skeletons. The sight enthralls Civil when it should instead fill him with regret for having challenged someone "accustomed to playing the world's foe."

## Adapted From

* Chapter 73
* Chapter 74
* Chapter 75
* Chapter 76