Kokushi Musou!! 24

I don't gush much (especially when I'm THIS tired...but I beat that record of more than four translations in one night! ....that no one cares about.) But Mugi and by extension, Tajima's art has gone from awkward to beautiful. Or at least much more refined. I really hope my bad touch doesn't activate on this series, but like most Shounen power ups, the bad touch always seems to appear in a desperate situation...



TAJIMA KAZUKI
(Black circle- Comics…)
(Red circle- First volume is out in stores everywhere!!)
(Side text- Climax of the Shuffle game!!)
(Side text- Center color and 23 pages!!)
Chapter 24: Awakening.
KOKUSHI MUSOU!!
(Bottom text- In the demonic darkness of doubt and distrust, The beasts collide as they seek the light named partnership. Now a single one of the beasts undergoes an awakening…!!)

002
(Side text- Fierce fighting!)
{The Second half of the Shuffle game. The place of assembly is the Aster graveyard. The name of the game is doubting your partner and searching for another.}
{The rules are deceptively simple…just create a team within 24 hours.}
{However before the trial started, the students were injected with a poison that saps their physical strength.}
{And in 24 hours their bodies will be completely unable to move or react.}
{Within the rings on their arms that administered the poison lies their one hope…}
{An antidote that will only work if two doses are taken simultaneously.}
{In order to get two however, they will need to steal a second from someone else during the exam.}
{This creates a situation where no one other than oneself can be fully trusted…and clearing the game’s objective ---creating a partnership becomes difficult.}
{It is a trial which is truly contradictory.}

003
Kid: I smelt the medicines so I came running here.
{Kid: Current antidote count// 0.}
{Mugi: Current antidote count// 1.}
Mugi: Th—the smell?
Elize: Isn’t that the runt from the other time?

004
Rengoku: Hahah….the prey just keeps on rollin’ in doesn’t it?
Hey shortpants. If you don’t wanna die hand over your antidote.
Kid: H—hey man! Hold on! I don’t have any of the antidote! Some other guys already snatched it from me earlier!!
All: Wut?
Kid: So I picked up the scent of the medicine and came looking!
Mugi: He smelt it? Then again…if Kid-kun is here maybe we can do this…
Rengoku: Don’t lie.
If you don’t hand it over you’ll end up like that girl there.

005
Rengoku: Well?
What’s it gonna be?
Mugi: Kid-kun…please run…
I’m going to give them my antidote…and I want you to take Anko-chan and run away.
Kid: What are you talking about? If you do that then you’re gonna be in danger right?
Mugi: I’ll be fine! I’ll find a way to get out of this and retire from the game! It’ll happen sooner or later anyway!
Kid: I refuse!

006
Kid: Let me tell you what’s going to happen here.
I’m going to save you both, and whup the bad guy’s asses. Not a bad scenario, eh?
Anko: T—that’s impossible.
You won’t be able to take on four people by yourself.
Hoira: Looks like the runt wants to go.
Rengoku: He’s a fool.
After all in a real fight no one backs down from showing their stuff!!
Kid: What tha---his staff stretched?!
NGAH!!!
Mugi: Kid-kun!!
Rengoku: Runt, you are so much a newbie that it hurts.
Didn’t Kujaku teach you any self-defense moves?
Kid: Uuugh!?! I did do my homework dammit!!
Ow!!!

007
Elize: Hahahah. Quit trying to act like big stuff. You can’t beat us.
Anko can’t move anymore..
And while Mugi is here she’s just a cowardly little crybaby.
Do you seriously think you stand a chance?
Kid: Sure do.
Do you guys think you stand a chance against ME?
???: Watch your mouth, newbie!!
Kid: Uwaaaaaaaah!!

008
Mugi: Kid-kun!!
(Sfx- Zzaaahh *ssffft*)
Rengoku: Whoa.
Elize: That little brat!
Anko: He really thinks he can win…
Rengoku: Is your head full of fluff?
You and I have a completely different ‘character’…

009
Rengoku: GET WHAT I MEAN?!
Trash!
Mugi: Kid-kun…why..?
You have to know that you’ll lose this fight…
So why do you keep standing up?
Why are you opposing them?
Dad(?): Mugi still cant use her wind stoma…?
Teacher: Sorry sir…but despite even the strictest training she…

010
Dad: Stand up Mugi!! Who told you to rest?
We are a noble family who utilizes a stoma of the wind, and have for generations!!
And as you are now, you aren’t good enough to be their heir!
For the sake of our family name…
You must do nothing other than continue being victorious….
Mugi: Father…you taught me that losers have no value in this world…and scared me from going down that path…
I’m afraid of losing…
And because I am afraid I don’t fight.

011
{Because I am afraid of failure or losing, I don’t fight, and because I don’t fight I am a failure as a martial artist.}
Hoira: Using my stoma to strengthen my cells means I can crush you with one blow!!
Kid: Mugi!!
Hoira: THIS IS WHERE YOUR LUCK ENDS BOTTOM FEEDING WENCH!!
(Sfx- Suhhh *Sffft*)

012
Mugi: Kid-kun!
{This guy again?!}
Kid: NUGAHHH!!
Mugi…
Why aren’t you fighting?!

013
Rengoku: Hahah, cut her some slack wouldja? She’s just afraid of losing…
And frankly she’s making the right decision.
A life of a martial artist only has meaning if they fight AND win.
Once you lose you’re useless, and your life meaningless!
Kid: YOU’RE WRONG!!

014
Chomi: Wha?
Mugi: Ki—Kid-kun?
{They say ‘The road of martial arts is one that shoulders heavy burdens and is smeared with mud’…}
{It’s because I owe so much….That my fist leaves a resounding impression!!}
Kid: Master Kujaku taught me…
A martial artist’s fight is to ‘protect’!!
Whether his opponent is strong or weak, or whether he can win or not doesn’t matter!
As long as there is something to protect you can summon the courage to fight!!
That is the way a martial artist lives!!

015
{Something to protect….!!}
Kid: But hey, I’m already well aware of the fact that I will own you guys!!
Anko: G—geez. That guy just doesn’t know when to shut up..
Mugi: Anko-chan…
Anko: Mugi…you should get out of here on your own..
I can at least hold ‘em back like this.
Mugi: If you fight with your body the way it is, you’ll just die!!
Anko: That’s cool. As long as I protected you Mugi, death’s no big thing.
I’m serious.

016
Mugi: Anko-chan…
(Sfx- Gyuuhh *sniffle*)
Mugi: You’re always protecting me…
Even before I ended up coming here..
Uuuuuuuu
Sniffle….
Anko: Awww Mugi…
You’re cryin’ by yourself again?
Mugi: Anko-chan!
Anko: Did your pops get mad at you again?
Mugi: Yeah..
He says I’m useless because I can’t use the stoma of wind…
Anko: Hmmm?

017
Mugi: If I weren’t born into this home…this family…that would have been better.
Being the daughter of a famed house is hard…I just want normal happiness…
Anko: Don’t worry about it Mugi…you’ll be okay. It might be hard now but…
Someday the headwind will become a tailwind.
Okay?
{Yes…that’s right…}
{Anko-chan…you are always there to encourage me.}

018
{You are always at my side…}
{I’m sorry…to always make you worry about me…}
{But…it’ll be okay now….I’ll be okay.}
Mugi: Because this time I’ll protect you Anko-chan!!
Elize: Kyaah! Wh—what’s with this wind?!
Mugi: Wh---what is this?
I can see the breath of the wind….is this a stoma?!
The wind…it’s alive!!!

019
???: I don’t get what’s going on here but we’ve gotta stop it and fast!!
Elize: Chomi!! Have you finished more of that paralyzing powder?!
Chomi: I can’t mix anything with this wind blowing me back!!
Hoira: Hehehe…wind of this level is a breeze.
HAAAAH!!
Kid: He’s sending that tree our way!!

020
Kid: Hey Mugi!! That’s dangerous!! Stay back!
Mugi: Kachou fuuryuu ken!!
(TN- Each kanji separately means ‘Flowers and birds elegant fist’. If you read it as just the first three kanji, it’s ‘the traditional themes of natural beauty.’ ….either way it sounds cooler left untranslated.)

021
Mugi: It’ll be okay Kid-kun.
I can fight too.

022
All: UWAAAAH!!!
Elize: N—no way…Mugi can use a stoma?!
Hoira: Dammit! Chomi’s powder paralyzed meeeeee!!
Mugi: I had no idea…
That this is what it feels like to fight…!!
(Side text- To protect her friends she awakened a hidden power!! Next issue a counter attack begins?!)
TO BE CONTINUED IN ISSUE 10.