#innocentis

Here we go, the second half!

Sam's little bow of gratitude as Team Hilmes walk away!

And up the tower we go, to get a better view of what's happening in the streets. Innocentis has been taken into custody on Arslan's orders (he specifies 'alive'; no doubt thinking of Estelle's request)

Innocentis getting snaked for the second time.

The doorway getting darkened by the distinctive silhouette of none other than Andragoras (this party has now been crashed twice lmao). I was in a good mood by this point because things are lining up and I know where this is going!

Andragoras cuts a fearsome figure, cloak and armour bloodstained from the fighting he's had to do on the way here. He's such an imposing figure whose presence seems capable of cowing others, yet ARSLAN STANDS UP TO HIM and refuses to hand over Rukhnabad. Being reinstated as Crown Prince isn't enough.

"I did not come back here to become Crown Prince. I am here to become Shah!" FUCK YES.

[insert soft "holy fuck" here]

That line... That admission of Arslan's calibre... Just whoah.

And then of course Andragoras tries to fucking kill him and take the sword (and at first I thought an earthquake was taking place but actually it's the effects of Andragoras's voice causing everyone to shake)

Azrael (whose name is misspelled as 'Asrael' though at least he got to PWEE and not PEE this time) soars past the window and causes a momentary distraction and as Andragoras notes this must mean Kishward has reached the palace, he also misses detecting the approach of a very possessed-looking Innocentis behind him

Given that Azrael bears the name of the angel of death that PWEEE was probably him saying "You're going to fucking die" and that's exactly what happens, with Innocentis wrestling Andragoras towards the window and out of the tower. There's no way either of them could survive that fall. The last panel of the chapter is their bodies in space, hurtling towards the ground together.

So you all know of my theory that Team Zahhak intended for Hilmes to be the replacement for Zahhak's crumbling body. But if it's not him, it could be Andragoras instead. I'm going to get into some novel spoilers for a moment so please look away if that bothers you!

In the novels, Zahhak doesn't return fully until late in the second half, after a timeskip. Andragoras dies in basically the same way, but the novels don't mention Team Zahhak being involved in Innocentis's actions. Later, Andragoras's body, stolen from its mausoleum, becomes Zahhak's vessel. The fact that Arakawa has Team Zahhak manipulating Innocentis here might be nothing more than giving them more of an active role at this moment to keep them in the forefront of our minds, but it could also hint at them deliberately engineering this moment so they'd have an easy body to appropriate. Maybe that's also why they previously convinced Innocentis to duel Andragoras, hoping that the poisoned sword would give them the royal corpse they desire.

Jovanna yells at young Hilmes

What a top choice, contrasting Arslan, the ruler Pars needs, being unable to draw the sword that would prove his right to rule, with Hilmes, who is choosing to brute force a coronation ceremony in order to give his position legitimacy.

While Arslan freely admits that his bloodline gives him no claim, Hilmes is still trying to maintain the lie that he is the son of Osroes. Ugh, watching him falter over this line during the ceremony was hard. He is far from at his best here, but I still have sympathy for him despite all that he's done.

However he needs to BE NICER TO ZANDEH, DAMN IT.

Things in Ecbatana... are not good. We get an overview: dry wells, Andragoras's growing army outside, closed gates, dwindling food, friction between citizens and soldiers, all combined to insinuate that it's only a matter of time before Hilmes's control of the city is overturned.

And a coronation won't fix this, (and nor will a crown patch up the emotional damage that was inflicted on him by Andragoras's big reveal) but what else can Hilmes do right now?

Ashamed to say I laughed at this. His face...

Man, Zandeh really is trying his best in this chapter. He and his men were the ones who went scrounging up golden coins to melt down in order for Hilmes to actually have a crown to wear after Guiscard stole the real one, but Hilmes isn't in the mood to appreciate his efforts.

(That little guy is with him in this scene, looking nervous of Hilmes's reaction! Feels like Zandeh also knows Hilmes isn't going to love what they've done, but as he says, it's the best they can do for now.)

The fact that Zandeh adores Hilmes and can't wait to see him crowned yet is willing to tell it to him straight: calling Sam away from defending the underground waterways to attend to coronation ceremony is a bad move.

Fucking ouch. At least he didn't tell Zandeh to go and watch the passageways himself!

'The ceremony was a miserable, spare, and unsatisfying one' 🙃

Starting out strong.

My boy is so happy!

When Hilmes starts talking about 'King Osroes's legitimate heir', things start to go to shit. He falters, Sam and Zandeh can see something is wrong (and while Zandeh is puzzled, you know Sam knows) and then after failing to get the words out twice Hilmes rips the cloth off his scar and fucking commits to that lie.

I wanted a mask-free coronation for Hilmes but NOT LIKE THIS 😭

Sacrificing Innocentis to the gods isn't going to make that lie any truer, but Hilmes is just grasping at anything that will give him even a whisper of security right now.

Zandeh is very into it, lmao. I love him but am unsurprised to see his rough treatment of Innocentis. If I recall correctly he was excited about the idea of killing him before.

Filing this away under 'things that should not be hot'. (Also noting that he removed his armour for the ceremony 👀 and that he's abandoned the idea of burning Innocentis alive in favour of a different method.)

Also... how blind can you be, Hilmes? "Thus will I show what happens to those of other lands whose ambitions threaten the peace of Pars!"? Pars is your own country, and you facilitated that. Pars would likely still be at peace if not for you and your ambitions.

Anyway, Innocentis, who is likely delirious with fever from his wound, asks for sugar water, which enrages Hilmes so much he's about to strike him with his sword, when who should burst in (no doubt through those poorly-defended waterways, sigh) than Team Arslan?

(The coronation ceremony is taking place 10 days after Team Arslan set out for Mount Demavant. Chapter 126 says they 'rode East along the Continental Highway for several days' until they encountered Don Ricardo, so it seems a little more time has passed between the events of the first part of the chapter and those of the second).

This fills me with fear because no way will Hilmes withdraw.

Yes! I don't have access to all versions of all novels so this is not going to be comprehensive, but here are some images. There are a few novel spoilers in here, though I won't go into detail about anything.

Innocentis lays eyes on Tahamenay for for first time, Book 1, illustration by Shinobu Tanno.

Tahamenay with Innocentis in one of the palace courtyards, Book 1, illustration by Yoshitaka Amano.

Seated on a wicker chair inside the glass greenhouse looking at the laleh (tulips), Book 2. As you can see, Amano's Tahamenay has black hair as is consistent with novel canon.

'The queen looked younger than her thirty-six years, or to be more precise, hers was an ageless beauty. Her raven hair, jet-black eyes, and ivory skin glimmered all the more for the jewels and silks adorning her.' (Book 1, Chapter 3, part ii)

Arslan and Tahamenay meet, Book 7. Yoshitaka Amano's work again.

I know I shared this before in the post about Layla but I'm including it here too for completion. Tahamenay jumps between Layla and Gieve in Book 12, illustration by Shinobu Tanno.

Zandeh did so, so well in infiltrating the city through the underground aquaducts (he’s following a map sketched by Hilmes, btw!).

The gate is opened! Hilmes comes riding through! (That shocked Lusitanian soldier refers to him as ‘Silvermask’ shortly before getting cut down by Hilmes’s sword; he must be so fed up of being called by that name, but soon he won’t have to use it any more!)

Zandeh running alongside someone who has a horse for him! Gotta get mounted asap, you just know he wants to be by Hilmes’s side again as soon as possible!

Sam’s thoughts and expressions in this chapter make me feel so sad, though. It’s no surprise that it feels strange to him to be attacking and entering the city like this, when only 10 months ago he was defending it. Everything’s coming full circle now, isn’t it? And seeing him incite the citizens of Ecbatana to rise up and overcome the Lusitanian soldiers... Doesn’t that remind you of Lusitania’s attempt to get the slaves to revolt against their Parsian masters?

A Hilmes smile of appreciation and recognition.

ugh how GOOD it feels to see him looking happy

Also, let’s just appreciate the fact that Sam arranged for Irina to be kept safe somewhere else while all of this is going on (also liking how clear it is that the men are very respectful of her; of course they know her status but it also feels like they recognise her importance to Hilmes and what she means to him?)

Anyway, the Lusitanians get obliterated by both Team Hilmes and the people of Ecbatana, who have suffered so much under their rule. Those who collaborated with Lusitania were also killed. There are some pretty graphic scenes. Hilmes is content to watch it all happen as he feels the Lusitanians deserve it, but I can’t help but think about the role he had in bringing about the Lusitanian invasion in the first place? Imagine how those citizens would react if they found out what the man about to declare himself their ruler had done.

The banner of Kaykhusraw is raised (love Zandeh’s enthusiasm when Hilmes gives him that order! and also I didn’t realise that emblem was supposed to be Kaykhusraw’s flag until now, but it makes perfect sense!) and there’s another shot of Sam looking conflicted rather than celebrating... What’s he thinking, I wonder? Does he see trouble ahead?

Then we pay the bedridden Innocentis a visit.

Sorry, this is turning into more of a summary than anything else, oops!

The interaction was unsatisfactory, lmao. (Hilmes introduced himself and Innocentis said “Isn’t the King of Pars a man named Andragoras?”). Zandeh was waiting outside during this scene in the novel, but it’s much funnier to have him next to Hilmes here!

Hilmes doesn’t want to kill Innocentis just yet, but don’t worry, he’ll have a plan for him!

Either way, please answer this only when you feel like it— and have a nice day!

Oh, I’ve got something good for you! There are actually a few Arslan Senki character songs, sung by the voice actors in-character! These were able to be unlocked in the Arslan Senki x Musou game, and were later released on a CD included with the sixth S1 Blu-ray/DVD release in Japan. You can listen to them here! The tracklist is as follows:

1.   Kazeshirube (風導 -kazeshirube- lit. Guided by Winds) by Arslan (CV: Yūsuke Kobayashi) 2.   Tatakai, Sore wa Kishi no Shinjitsu (戦い、それは騎士の真実 lit. Fighting, This is the Knight's Truth) by Daryun (CV: Yoshimasa Hosoya) 3.   Bigaku no Shōzō (美学の肖像 lit. A Portrait of Aesthetics) by Narsus (CV: Daisuke Namikawa) 4.   Namonaki Hoshi (名もなき星 lit. A Nameless Star) by Elam (CV: Natsuki Hanae) 5.   Koto no Hane Oto no Sora (言の羽 音の空 lit. Feathers of Words, The Sky of Sounds) by Gieve (CV: KENN)

...I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t looked for songs by Katsuyuki Konishi before. It’s been a while since I last listened to them but I remember quite liking Koran, if only because I amused myself by imagining salaryman Shapur from Corporate Warrior Arslan being persuaded to join the other Pars Corporation employees for karaoke and singing it (and of course he’d have to be drunk to do it, so drunk in fact that Kubard’s going to have to help him get home despite his protests that he’s fine). In terms of softer songs, you might like 祈念 (Kinen).

As far as canon characters go, I know of one canonically good singer (Manuchurh, he apparently had a very beautiful voice) and several bad ones (Kubard, Innocentis, Don Ricardo). There might be some others mentioned, those are just the ones I can remember. Singing is also part of Turanian culture! Burhan sings at one point and so does Jimsa. For the others, it’s not something I’ve really thought about before so I don’t have any headcanons about specific characters yet ...actually wait, I lied, I do headcanon that Gurgin has a pleasant singing voice, not that he tends to use it recreationally, or at all when he’s with Team Zahhak

I remember Farangis singing to lay the dead to rest in the anime (S1 E25). In the novel, it just says that she prays for the fallen. Perhaps melodic chanting / singing is incorporated into the work of priests and priestesses, too? I’m not sure about whether it’s directly mentioned somewhere else in the novels, but I like the idea.