Episode 20

**The Visitors** (来訪者 *Raihōsha*) is the twentieth episode of the *Dead Mount Death Play* anime.

## Official Blurb

The mysterious Civil visits the Corpse God to have his fortune told, and the encounter surprises both of them. The necromancer draws a step closer to the traces of his old world, but are they friend or foe?

## Synopsis

Flashback
Some time after slaying the dragon Urdwigia, Easlies Swordfrail seeks to arrange a 200-year contract between his soul and her apprentice, the future Corpse God. Urdwigia will only consent if she purchases back his carcass from the guild, which she does, though she complains of the monetary cost. Urdwigia is much more comfortable with the likes of his slayer's apprentice handling his remains than he is the likes of strangers. He invites Corpse God to use his remains as he sees fit.

Present
As Xiaoyu Lei stares at his scaly right arm, which crackles lightning, Corpse God explains he has just linked him to a dragon.

**Opening credits.**

Now that Misaki Sakimiya is a Vampire Larva, Sayo Shinoyama thinks it a good idea to determine what she does and does not have in common with traditional concepts of vampires. Misaki tells Takumi Kuruya that she can handle sunlight—it is simply "more dazzling" overall—but it is Sayo who already knows, per Corpse God, that for Misaki, drinking blood would be like taking steroids. If Misaki wants to turn someone else into a vampire, she needs to give them a lot of blood over a long period of time. However, if she wants to personally evolve, that is easier to achieve via magic, which is how Corpse God made her a vampire in the first place.

Corpse God apologizes for dragging Xiaoyu into his personal problems and swears by his master and Urdwigia's arm—the latter of which is the "highest show of faith" he can offer—that he trusts him. He asks Xiaoyu if he will agree to an alliance.

Polka Shinoyama meanwhile wriggles with excitement over Xiaoyu simultaneously having a dragon arm and robot arm. Via an ongoing video call, Rozan Shinoyama explains to Xiaoyu that Polka is possessing the plush and more interested in being rehomed in an android than reclaiming his body. Corpse God relays Polka's friendly hello to Xiaoyu, whose return greeting is rather inimical, and says that Xiaoyu's help would be very useful what with Polka's life in danger and the organization's presence a concern.

In their hideout, Fire-breathing Bug comments that the organization's founder is a Bastard Child from the other side of the sky. "A space alien?!" cries Tena Sorimura, briefly diverted from photographing Kuon Higuro. Bug does not know precisely what the Bastards are, only that that they are "one of those close to what [Solitaire] seeks." The implication that there are *other* leads does not go unnoticed by Solitaire, who Bug says should already be aware of them. Solitaire agrees, thinking back to his dirigible stunt and the police. "It all must connect somewhere," he says. "Including to *you*, of course."

Kōzaburō Arase, Tsubaki Iwanome, and Kayakusa are immersed in case files when Saki Aikawa walks in on them—something she will be doing less often, since Iwanome will be splitting more time between Shinjuku's police building and HQ. She observes that the case files are very old. Earlier this morning, Iwanome explains, he encountered documentation of Fire-Breathing Bug's slogan written in kanji, which contradicts Comps-3's belief that Fire-breathing Bug only debuted a few years ago. He, Arase, and Kayakusa are now combing the archives for more evidence of Bug's past.

While queueing to see the fortuneteller Corpse God, Mikoto Saimyouji overhears Soara Habaki, one of three queuers behind him, mention to Civil and Lulu that a bad feeling is crawling down her spine. Mikoto eagerly attributes her sensation to the fortuneteller's authenticity and shows Civil the YouTube video of the hands that flocked over the fortuneteller shop's building. Public opinion has it that Solitaire created the hands, but Mikoto argues that if Solitaire had, he would have given advance notice to ensure there would be an audience. Civil raises the obvious question of what the hands and Solitaire were doing with each other; he guesses 'attacking,' Mikoto suggests 'dancing.'

This is such a delightful notion that Civil lets out a merry laugh, as does Mikoto. When Misaki calls out the number twenty-five, Mikoto stands, gives Civil his name so that he can track down Mikoto on social media, and enters the room to have his fortune read. Civil immediately looks up Mikoto's Twittia profile and learns Mikoto is a forensic specialist. At the same time, he gives Misaki his first name and the topic(s) he would like divined: "my fate over one hundred years, and also fresh encounters."

Iwanome wants to ask Saimyouji for his opinion on something in the case files, but Danjō Tozawa says he has not seen the doctor today. Aikawa remarks that Saimyouji has been recently hooked on some boy wonder of a fortuneteller.

Upon learning that Miyabi Hosorogi haunts the gimmick pencil, Xiaoyu recalls that Solitaire said he had come to repay a debt to Hosorogi when Xiaoyu confronted him on the rooftop. Xiaoyu says that he assumed that Solitaire and Hosorogi must have worked together in the past. Hosorogi emphatically, truthfully denies that they ever did.

Xiaoyu leaves to make dinner and Corpse God in a good mood. Trepidation overwhelms it seconds before Civil opens the door and greets Corpse God with a pleasant smile. Corpse God has never seen as many shades haunt someone as he does now, amalgamated as a cluster of dense threads through which pale hands and large eyeballs prod and peer. *Even killing a million people in a war*, he thinks, *wouldn't explain all this*. Most of the years- if not decades-old shades linger out of obsession—not regret, not love, only very few malice—pure, undiluted obsession. The tripodal eyeball on Takumi's desk shivers with unease. To conceal his true feelings, Corpse God uses a spell that overlays his face with a placid expression.

Civil brings up Solitaire's rooftop visit. Corpse God says that he has not met Solitaire, though he concedes that his and Solitaire's faces may have already intersected without his notice.

Higuro, who has been tied to the same chair since yesterday, asks Solitaire what he is planning. Solitaire abandons his laptop and tells Higuro to focus on smiling for the 'camera,' aka Solitaire's phone mounted on a tall stand. Higuro's phone has already been incinerated, Bug explains, when Higuro expresses concern that the police could be tracking its signal. Bug finds it curious that Higuro does *not* want the cops to extricate him from his situation. It is not necessarily the police of whom Higuro is afraid, Higuro admits, but Arase in particular; he is more afraid of what Arase might do to him than he is of death.

Solitaire checks his inbox and sees that "Nanny" has emailed him a .zip container with the label "Phantom Solitaire's Grand Operation: Thrilling Surprise." With Higuro as ignorant of the meaning behind 'Sabaramond' as Solitaire is, Solitaire declares that the two of them shall uncover its meaning together.

When asked to clarify what he meant by his one hundred-year fate on his intake form, Civil asks Corpse God if the world should scorn and judge people close to someone who has committed an "unforgivable crime." Corpse God hopes the world would not do such a thing. Civil says that a group is currently hounding him for a such a crime committed over a century ago. Corpse God expresses his sympathies for Civil's taxing situation, reminded of his own century-old revenge against the Geldwood unit, but for Civil, the situation is anything but. That his antagonists' reason for antagonism is so absurd means he can remorselessly crush said antagonists with a clear conscience.

Corpse God points out that to do so would be to do the same as the antagonists. Civil agrees. Therefore, he says, justification is determinable by order of operations.

1. Persons C(ivil) et al. and D et al. have ties to Persons A and B.
2. Person A is wronged by Person B. Person A's revenge against Person B is therefore justifiable.
3. Person A hates Persons C(ivil) et al. simply by association. This constitutes a new attack and is therefore unjustifiable.
4. Is it not then justifiable for Person C et al. to retaliate even against Persons D et al.?

Yes, that Civil is the victim of an unjustifiable attack is a wonderful thing indeed, for he may justifiably retaliate with any manner of violence or indignity he so desires. The shades haunting him give him a round of applause. Corpse God realizes that Civil is nothing like the innocent youths murdered by Geldwood simply for associating with him. He asks Civil if he wholeheartedly believes everything he just said. Civil invites him to divine the answer.

Corpse God conjures a magic circle. People waiting in the corridor complain of upset stomachs or forgotten tasks back home and begin filing down the stairs, ushered by unseen shades. Lulu does not move, staring at something also unseen, and Soara asks her what the matter is. Reassured by Civil's lack of reaction that Civil lacks the Evil Eye, Corpse God decides to rattle him by touching his soul. He has to force his spectral hand through the cluster of shades to do so; he assumes they are trying to stop him out of protectiveness for Civil.

Civil's mana is so dense as to be on par with that of an imperial court sorcerer, something which makes Corpse God wonder if Civil is from his homeworld. Civil is wondering similarly—he felt mana 'burst' inside him when Corpse God made contact—despite knowing that Polka is a native of Earth. He considers a few explanations, including the possibility of Polka having a double or of someone controlling him, then comments out loud about the strange sensation he just experienced. Corpse God requests and receives permission to probe Civil's soul deeper, though he warns Civil that Civil might not like knowing his 'real' self.

The moment Corpse God starts processing the spirits that haunt Civil, Lulu throws the door open and tells Civil that—according to the Elemental—this location is unsafe. Corpse God recognizes the "high-ranking stone elemental" hovering over her head; it used to fraternize with Leuf Vellize, the chancellor of Byandy Empire. He wonders who Lulu is.

Flashback
Easlies presents Corpse God to Vellize, who assumes this must be the child whose parents sold him. Easlies says that the Evil Eye apparently proved too much for Corpse God's parents despite the fact that "[their] people should always have been able to see spirits [through other means]." People with the Evil Eye can see *and* hear spirits. Vellize, who can only hear them, remarks that Corpse God must suffer more than "we who can only do one." She encourages him to remain strong, likening shades and elementals to neighbors who are constantly at people's sides.

Present
Civil complains that he is finally getting to the "good part" and asks his companions to handle the matter. Soara, whose soul is a color of significance to Corpse God, says there is no point quarrelling with "Lulu's ears" and speculates that Bugs might be coming to torch the place.

It must be fate, Corpse God thinks, that three people "deeply mixed up in" his home world have paid him a visit. As he is wondering what to do, Civil promises to visit him again as a friend, not a client. He and Lulu follow Soara out of the room, whereupon Taipei strikes her, accusing her of being the recent nighttime attacker.

## Adapted From

* Chapter 61
* Chapter 62
* Chapter 63
* Chapter 64

## Trivia

### Referbacks

* Solitaire bluffed about Hosorogi in Episode 12.