[5]

[8]

Ashura is gleeful and it’s horrifying and I hate it. 

I had to look really closely at all this because I couldn’t really make out what Lava Lamp was doing? But! It looks like he’s using lightning to break up Ashura’s ice attack and protect the other two. I think? Visually it’s a little difficult, but I think that’s the gist of it. 

I - OH. 

OH, NO. 

CURSED PAGE BEHIND THE CUT.

[1]

We continue with Ashura’s manipulative shenanigans, hammering home the fact that every step he’d taken to encourage Fai to love and protect Celes was always with the intention that Fai would be forced to kill Ashura in the future. Which, again, is an act that openly uses Fai’s caring nature against him. It erases any hint that any of this was genuine and confirms that Fai was only here as Ashura’s pawn from the beginning. 

But on the plus side! It appears Fai managed to evacuate the non-murdered population of Celes out of the country. Because this is Tsubasa, I can’t be sure if this means he moved them to another country in this world or to another world altogether, but for the narrative purpose it hardly matters. Ashura can travel worlds too, so he would find other people to murder eventually. 

It’s a small detail they’ve thrown in but it changes a lot about how the narrative let’s us interpret Fai’s actions. In the previous chapters it was implied that perhaps Ashura had already killed everyone in the entire world. Luckily, this was not the case. But it also lets us reframe Fai’s motivation for sealing away Ashura. If everyone was already dead there would have been less urgency and Fai may have been sealing him away out of betrayal and guilt, knowing that he’d have to come back and kill Ashura eventually but not being ready for it. Now that we know that Fai managed to save the off screen population of the world it lends a lot more urgency to the fact that Ashura is free. Fai still may have been avoiding the fact he has to murder this father figure, but it was also done to protect everyone who’s still left to save. And now that he’s out? He has to be dealt with. It’s not a problem that can be run from anymore, and the only delay Fai could put on it is over. 

A bit of gore in the next page so it’s under the cut:

[7]

I am SO HERE FOR THIS. Fai’s complete rage over the loss of Chii and the threat to Sakura overrides any compassion he still had towards Ashura - and it’s enough to break through Ashura’s magical barrier and do him injury. 

Fai himself is surprised by this. 

Ashura is not, and he’s going to keep this up because it’s getting him exactly what he wanted. 

ALSO? I am mildly terrified. 

Naturally Ashura counterattacks to further push Fai towards attacking back. Despite everything, Fai still has himself together enough to shield not only himself but Kurogane, Lava Lamp, and Mokona too. Which I think is saying something, because Lava Lamp has been a very small background presence of this scene from the start, and yet Fai never lost awareness of where he was or that he might be in danger. 

Fai is, of course, amazing. 

But I think this also feeds into exactly what Ashura is digging for. Ashura was pleased when Fai attacked him for the sake of Chii and Sakura, and now he has evidence that Fai also desires to protect Kurogane and Lava Lamp. 

SO I THINK WE CAN SAFELY GUESS WHAT ASHURA’S NEXT MOVE WILL BE. 

EVEN WORSE THAN EXPECTED: ASHURA GOES FOR ALL FOUR OTHER MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY AT ONCE. 

[6]

OKAY SO ignoring anime shenanigans, Fai created his artificial person in the image of his mother. Which? Is incredibly heartbreaking. Chii’s purpose was to watch over the body of OG Fai - which is something their real mother never did, because she was too overcome with the tragedy of their existence that she left them alone in the world. They never had a mother figure to watch over them so Fai creates one that actually will - but too late, in an empty gesture of watching over a corpse. 

In a way, Fai made moves towards reclaiming his past and trying to find happiness in memories that were only sadness for him. Chii had the kindness and time for them that their mother never did - but now even she is gone, and it happened off screen, without the chance to say goodbye.

[3]

Fai crying over Ashura even now is really just the Perfect Icing on the cake of how much he cares and just how good a person he really is. 

It also expands on what Ashura’s parting words were; Fai’s ability to care will always cause him the most pain. Which, in a way, is correct - but it’s also the best and most valuable quality anyone can have. It’s perfect that Fai bonded so well with Sakura because she’s the embodiment of empathy in the world; she’ll care infinitely, no matter how painful it is, because it’s always worth it in the end. She sacrificed a piece of her soul and walked across the acid desert to save a world of people she didn’t even know and never once did she consider not doing it. Caring hurts, but it’s also the most powerful thing you can do. 

The only other option is becoming Ashura, and that’s not an option at all.

OH FAI. 

Honestly this wraps him up so neatly. 

Even though Ashura was using him from the start he still can’t make himself do it. Ashura was the only kind influence on his life for centuries, and even if it was a lie, it was still a defining moment in his life. 

Fai still cares. 

[4]

OH YUP I HATE THIS.

Chapitre 163 - The Unfillable Promise

In which we are HERE for Rugged Battle Kurogane and the Arms that Save Us All. 

Artful ripping of the cape that gives just that much more of a glimpse of biceps? Heavenly. A blessing. A gift to humanity. 

The splash text reads:

The series of tragedies

The unending curse

With this sword ...!

Which is, of course, Kurogane solving all the plot problems with violence - the best and most effective way he knows. 

Because this is Kurogane let’s also throw in a generous dose of moon symbols and some artful mixing of black and white in the background, with Kurogane very specifically in the middle.