Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 85

Though he tried his best to get through his speed and power, Gekkou has fallen in battle to the invisible blades of Eikei! Now with his partner gone and the last combatant of the First-Years, it's all up to Momotarou...

Chp. 85: The Bloody Characters to Victory


168.
Hidemaro: He…was killed…………!! Th…that Gekkou, said to be the strongest man of the Sanmenken, was…

169.
Eikei: The battle is over. Sleep peacefully, Gekkou…………!!
First-Years: GEKKOU----!!

170.
First-Year: ……Ah.
First-Year 1: L…look, Gekkou’s fingertip is…………wr…writing something.
First-Year 2: Wh…what………!?
First-Year: Uh!!
Characters: NYOGOU
(TN: Considering the actual meaning [well for this series] is going to be revealed a bit later, I can’t really translate what it means now)

171.
First-Year 1: Nyogou……!?
First-Year 2: He’s…writing bloody characters…………!!
(TN: The term in Japanese for “bloody characters” is “Chimoji”, but it probably works in English easily, thereby why I kept it as such)
Date: Gekkou, who is always silent and doesn’t show his emotions, is straining the last of his power in this world to leave this note behind…
First-Year 1: Ge…Gekkou…………
First-Year 2: Uuh……!!
Momotarou: Nyogou……!!
Wan Taaren: Death confirmed! Take this corpse off the premises.
Wan Taaren: Victory goes to Eikei of the Otokojuku Third-Year side in the first match of the Tenrai Kyoushin Fight, the final fight of the Daiishin Paaren Seiha!

172.
Wan Taaren: This final battle is a winner-stays-behind match until both members of the opposition on either side has been completely defeated. We will continue without break to the second match, but if you still want to catch your breath, then you can take a quick rest.
(TN: “Winner-stays-behind Match” is in reference to a “kachinokorisen”, a fight akin to one in sumo where the winner of the match that just occurred remains ringside in case he is continued to be needed)
Eikei: You’re worrying uselessly about rest. As is, we should start soon.
First-Year 1: Wh…what is th…this guy? He had that intense battle with Gekkou and doesn’t want to break---!!
First-Year 2: And now he’s Momo’s opponent---!!

173.
Jaki: Do what you like, Eikei. Even if this is for you, I won’t complain about not having my turn.
Wan Taaren: So then from here, we will have the second closing match of the Daiishin Paaren Seiha! Come forth Tsurugi Momotarou, head of the Otokojuku First-Years---!!

174.
First-Years: ……………………
Date: Does Momo have a plan!? Does he have a means to seal Eikei’s Kyoutouyoku that defeated Gekkou……!?
Momotarou: Don’t worry.
Momotarou: Gekkou’s last word that he left me is “Nyogou”*………that is the symbol by bloody characters when Chinese warriors were defeated in death in a battle long ago that they believe in the person who continues after them, pinning down the victory.
*Means the final roar that is raised without fail by a tiger when they die.

175.
Momotarou: I won’t betray his expectation!!
Wan Taaren: Raise the stairs---!!

176.
Wan Taaren: Begin---!!

177.
Eikei: What’s wrong? Your broadsword isn’t taken out or in a stance.
First-Years: Mo…Momo……!!
Eikei: This match will be an instant!! What can you do? Are you going to pour your own blood onto my wing like Gekkou so you can see it!!
Eikei: Let’s go---!!

178.
First-Years: Wh…what—Momo is closing his eyes---!!

179.
First-Years: !!

180.
Momotarou: MUGEN ITTOURYUU: SHINGANKEN!
(TN: As you may remember from the fight with J, “Shinganken” = “Mind’s Eye Sword”, but “Mugen Ittouryuu” = “Infinite One-Sword Style”)
First-Year 1: A…amazing, he cut that boomerang in two---!!
First-Year 2: Did…you see? I couldn’t pay attention. He instantly drew and slashed it out---!!
First-Year 3: Well now, he has one boomerang left---!!
Eikei: What admirable sword judgment. As expected of he who is called the First-Year head: you sensed the movement with the faint sonant vibration emitted by the wing!

181.
Eikei: Those who possess a difference in their eyes and ears like Gekkou earlier would have avoided this. However, what do you think will happen if I throw it alongside the thunder from the falling lightning?
(TN: The part about “difference in eyes and ears would have avoided it” was hard for me to really make out well, but unless someone else can translate this better, I sort of assume that most people would try to search out the weapon one way such as with their eyes, but Momo used his Shinganken to use his ears and other senses to track it down)
Eikei: You won’t be able to use your Shinganken!!
Date: This is bad! With the loud sound of lightning, he can eliminate the boomerang’s sonant vibration!!
First-Years: UUH!!

182.
Eikei: Here it comes!!
Eikei: It’s falling---!!
Eikei: DIE--!!

183.
Eikei: !!
First-Years: How skilled! He stopped the orbit of the boomerang from the positioning of the hole in his gakuran----!!

184.
First-Year: He…did it: he returned the boomerang---!!
Hidemaro: Momo really is amazing---!!
Eikei: Hmph……

185.
Eikei: I’m surprised………you’ve completely defeated my Kyoutouyoku.
Momotarou: Your surprise is still early. Don’t you know why I repelled the tip blade without splitting the wing?
(TN: Momo uses an expression of “Hamine”, which literally stands for “the blade at the summit” akin to the top peak of a triangle…or in this case, the top peak of the boomerang, I thought “tip blade” worked as well in this case)
Eikei: What………!?
(End of Vol. 9)

TN: Now that is how the head of a grade is supposed to fight...but then we all know that from Momo. It's obvious that he was going to draw first blood being the main leader of the First-Years, but it feels like forever since he last fought...let alone his last fight was a short-one chapter skirmish against Jaki which only accomplished him destroying a massive sword! I guess in a way it's more a matter of satisfaction seeing him fight now compared to the early chapters where Momo was pretty much fighting nearly every time that it wasn't some weird situation for Togashi. Whereas before you sort of want to see others fight and that Momo was powerful but sort of the only one who could fight of the First-Years, by this point seeing him take the stage to stand up to the most powerful of enemies is more a means of satisfaction than a means of annoyance...just how a main character of a shonen should be! It's also great that Momo is using the Shinganken for the first time since the J fight (well OK, the first time ever it's a pure "Shinganken", since he's using a sword this time around)...but even better that Eikei found a way to defeat it...and then Momo found a way to defeat the adjusted strategy! When this series is on the ball, you know that the fighters are always doing their homework...and Miyashita is making sure no one seems stupid in the process. One more thing: the part with Gekkou's last word was weird since I don't know if "nyogou" is an actual word or just a Miyashita-ism...but since it had a definition later, at least it didn't become another awkward transliteration.