Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 29

The actors are arranged: the four first-years of Otokojuku and Date and his Sanmenken of Gougakuren, for the "Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu"...but what terrifying horror awaits them as their great trial begins?

Chp. 29: Fuji-Climbing Houkongyoku

46.
Shura Oshou: This is the boundary of the present world and hell: the entrance to the evil Hades that is “Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu”…………Hougokuin Anryoudou
(TN: This was actually hard to translate considering how many bizarre terms are in this, but basically follow along as such. First of all, the “present world” comment is in reference to the feel of the three worlds within Buddhist philosophy of “heaven”, “hell” and the “present” or “transient” world, the world upon which we live in for the lives we have currently. “Gensei” is the “present/transient” world and thus was translated as such. Second was the mentioning of “Evil Hades”: “Meifu” is specifically known as the “realm of the dead”, but to differenciate from “hell”, we also get a translation of “Hades” which is connected similarly to the Greco-Roman realm of the dead. Finally, while I mentioned prior that “Hougokuin” is the name of the temple, “Anryoudou” is translated into “Dark Cave of Nature Spirits”, in particular the middle kanji of “ryou” referring to the “spirits of trees and rocks” also known as “kodama” such as those from something such as “Princess Mononoke”)
Shura Oshou: Everything, both living and dead, are in the thoughts of Buddha…we will give use as much of Buddha’s protection as possible…

47.
Shura Oshou: Otokojuku will go through the left cave and Gougakuren through the right.
Date: Fufufu, if you want to change your minds, now’s your chance. You don’t have a chance in ten thousand that you’ll win.
Toramaru: Is that all you’re going to say, beetle head?
(TN: Toramaru calls Date “kabutomushi”, which is Japanese for beetle. But since “kabuto” is “helmet” in Japanese, the pun was too easy to make)
Shura Oshou: Let the “Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu” begin!!

48.
Matsuo: Th…that sound of the temple bell……………
Onihige: Has the “Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu” finally begun?
Tazawa: Te…teacher, a question!! What exactly is this “Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu”!?
Onihige: I don’t know. I’ve been in service at Otokojuku for twenty years…but thought I heard the name, I didn’t know what it was.
Onihige: Even of those I asked, I didn’t hear from those who did it. What I do know is there’s a 0% survival rate…there has yet to be a person who came back from it alive. That’s the “Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu”!

49.
Togashi: What is this? This cave has become a steep slope suddenly.
Momotarou: Watch your step, we can’t see well in this darkness.
Togashi: Uo
Toramaru: Wh…what’s wrong, Togashi--!!
Togashi: Owow, someone’s biting at my foot.

50.
Togashi: Gee!!
Togashi: Wh…what is this…………!!
Togashi: ………………!!
Momotarou: Fufufu, somehow what that old man said wasn’t bluffing.

51.
Date: Fufufu, pathetic…are these soldiers the remains of dreams…………these men of valors who drove forth with their ambitions of accomplishments and were smashed to death in the tough 300 years of the “Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu.
Date: Your regrets will absolutely be cleared by Date Omito, president of the Gougakuren. We will garnish these annihilated corpses with the Otokojuku quartet.
(TN: Date actually make a comment of “Hana ni Soete”, which actually is “garnish with flowers”, but I assume more he’s going to garnish the defeated enemies with the corpses of the Otokojuku students)
Hien: With pleasure……!!

52.
Toramaru: Really, how much further do we go through this cave?
J: We’ve already been going through this and that for two or three kilometers.
Togashi: Not to mention that steep slope, a**hole.
Toramaru: But how many members are in the Gougakuren Sanmenken?
Togashi: Hey, isn’t it obvious no matter how you look at it?
(TN: The joke is a bit lost due to the translation but basically Toramaru is asking about how many are in the “Sanmenken”, when “San” or “three” is in the name of the group, thus Togashi stating the obviousness of the situation)
Momotarou: Fufufu, we’ll know immediately.
Momotarou: !!
Toramaru: An exit--!!
Togashi: What’s wrong, Momo!?

53.
Momotarou: OOH--!!
Toramaru: Th…that’s……………

54.
Toramaru: Mt. Fuji--!!
Toramaru: Well I’m beat.
J: Look, the temple that appeared to us earlier…………!!

55.
Giant 1: Yes, this is the second stage of the sacred Mt. Fuji, elevation one thousand meters.
Giant 2: From here, we’ll be guiding you.
Fuukai & Rinkai: We are Fuukai and Rinkai, studying priests at Hougokuin.
Fuukai: Now, come with us. Everyone from Gougakuren has already arrived.
Toramaru: ………………!!

56.-57.
Otokojuku Students: !!

58.
Momotarou: Wh…what are these balls……………!?
Date: Fufufu, you’re late. I was thinking you became cowards midway and ran away.
Togashi: What’s that, you---!! We’ve been through great trouble to break into this ritual so here’s where we get it on.
Voice: Restrain itself---!!

59.
Fuukai & Rinkai: From here, we will state the manners for the “Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu”.
Fuukai: First, everyone in both parties will place their ankles to these shackles attached to these Houkongyoku.
(TN: “Houkongyoku” = “Cannon-Soul Balls”, or “Soul Cannonballs”)
Date: ………………!?
J & Togashi: Hu—h!?

60.
Fuukai: Fine, all members have completed the arrangement.
Rinkai: With that, all of you have become united with your Houkongyoku.

61.
Togashi: !?
Toramaru & Togashi: Wh…what---!!

62.
Otokojuku Students: Uoo--!!
Toramaru: Wh…what was that for? If you drop these balls onto the steep slope, they’ll tumble downwards to the foot together with us, ending this all at once.
Date: Fufufu, now I get it.

63.
Fuukai: This is the first step of your secret “Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu” journey. There’s only one way for you to survive: push those Houkongyoku up to the summit of Fuji.
Fuukai: Further, to get to the summit, we have installed four barriers: from “1st Evil” to “4th Evil”; it is there that we will release the chains one-to-one from both teams, where they will fight to their heart’s content. Naturally, the numbers will decrease with whichever of those ones gets killed, weakening the powers that are pushing the balls and increasing their danger.
Chart:
Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu
4TH EVIL
3RD EVIL
2ND EVIL
1ST EVIL
(TN: The actual names for the “levels” are the numbers followed by “no Kyou”, with “Kyou” being “evil” or “disaster”. I made them ordinal since it probably worked a bit better for each level, thus “1st Evil” and such)
Toramaru: Huh…!!
Togashi: We have to push these balls to the summit……………!!
J: How many meters is Mt. Fuji?
Momotarou: 3776 meters!!

64.
Toramaru: Really, this isn’t sane.
Togashi: You should have considered that earlier.
Toramaru: We’ll get tired doing just this, and yet on top of that we must fight them.
Togashi: Hey, don’t you smell something?
Toramaru: N--!? Hey, isn’t that like a fart?
Fuukai: Stop!!

65.
Fuukai: THE 1ST EVIL: SHAKUMYAKUIOU-KAN: May we have one soldier from each team!
(TN: “Shakumyakuiou-kan” = “Barrier of a Vein of Burning Sulphur”…which explains the smell)
J: Interesting. I don’t know what this is, but I don’t want to act like a dung beetle. It’s been a while since my Mach Punch has exploded.
Raiden: SANMENKEN RAIDEN!!
Forehead: DAIOUJOU (Peaceful Death)

TN: It's rather intriguing, but great, that the truth regarding the "Kyoura Daiyon Kyousatsu" is basically a big game of "king of the hill"...on Mount Fuji, with giant metal balls and the potential of death either from getting killed by an opponent or falling off the mountain. It think what makes the whole scenario so ludicrous but so great is essentially the doom that awaits regardless of what happens. Heck, the key here is that while there is a potential that your side may win in the various stages on Fuji, if you participant still dies even if he kills your opponent, it still makes things even harder with one less person carrying the metal ball, therefore forcing the same scenario even if you lose and your side loses a man to death of having to make up for it by carrying the ball even further with more weight distributed to you than before. It's a nightmare of physics, stamina and strength...but it's just cool. (even if J sort of wants to get out of it now and fight due to his "dung beetle" comment) But hey, now we're on the "1st Evil" stage...and this sulphur pit is where the fun really begins next time!