Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 121

Now that Jaki's never-ending showdown with his ultimate rival brought to conclusion, Otokojuku can finally proceed to the finals of the preliminary bracket! But the road to the tournament may have a roadblock of legends in their way...

Chp. 121: The Gandhara 16-Monks

127.
Jaki: …………………!!
Momotarou: I sympathize with you, Jaki-senpai.
Jaki: Next are finally the finals: be careful out there!!
Togashi & Toramaru: O…Ossu---!!

128.
(Title Page…the new enemy is slightly hinted…but Eikei looks like is getting his turn next)

129.
Sign: TOUDOU
Businessman: The Tenchou Gorin Daibukai Preliminary Leagues fights have ended in almost all the battlegrounds; each representative is presenting themselves. All that remains is the 1st Battleground…just now the Otokojuku team taken control of their semifinal and from here are facing the finals.

130.
Toudou: Well, Otokojuku……if I remember, they’re newcomers participating in their first Daibukai.
Toudou: So then, who are the opponents for Otokojuku in the finals……!?
Businessman: Right!!
Businessman: Huh!?
Businessman 1: He…hey, isn’t this some mistake?
Businessman 2: N…no, it would never do that…!!
Toudou: I’ll have that.
Toudou: TH…THIS IS………!! It…can’t be that they’re participating in this Daibukai………!!

131.
Hassam: From here, all of you will be fighting in the finals.
Momotarou: !!
Hassam: However, all of you are just really lucky to have come this far.
Toramaru: Wh…what’s that you turban guy, whose lucky~~~!!
Togashi: St…stop, Toramaru.
Momotarou: Where are our opponents?
Hassam: Fufu, so even your luck already has run out.
Hassam: You must thank the heavens, because there isn’t a greater death of ultimate honor that can be arranged for those who aspire on the path of the fist.
Hassam: SEE!!

132.-133.
Hassam: Those are your competition opponents…
Hassam: THE GANDHARA 16-MONKS!!
(TN: First of all, the full name of the team is “Gandaara 16-Sou”; “Gandhara” (the proper reading) being another weird anagram is translated into “Graceful Rock Coming After Silk”, though considering the last kanji of “ra” can also be used for “Rome”, maybe it’s also a note that they’re fighting after Olympus. Finally, the “sou” in their name refers to “monks” or “Buddhist priests”; since “monk” sounds better, I went with that for their name)

134.
Toramaru: The Gandhara 16-Monks……!? Wh…what are those eerie priests……!!
Togashi: Ev..even so, they’ve manufactured that alter-looking thing……………!!
Momotarou: …………………!!

135.
Raiden: I…can’t believe this………………How…could it be that th…those Gandhara 16- Monks be before us……
Momotarou: Do you know of them, Raiden!?
Raiden: Yes.
Raiden: The Gandhara 16-Monks…deep within the unexplored segments of the Himalaya Mountains in central Asia, which are called the roof of the world, there is said to be a sect of the strongest kenpou in history, which gathers only those people who have been chosen from China, India, Mongolia, Tibet and all throughout Asia. Originally coming forth in China’s Tang Dynasty, they were exiled from this land by Genbutei, the emperor of the time who felt threatened by the power of their extremely terrifying fist, and they began to prohibit contact with our world.
(TN: A weird note I have to mention here: though there is no "Genbutei" or "Emperor Genbu" of the Tang Dynasty, the name is actually more in reference to "Xuan Wu", also known as the "True Warrior Grand Emperor" or the "Northern Emperor" who is also tied in some ways both to an emperor in the classic Saiyuki/Journey to the West novel as well as to the northern constellation god made of a snake and a tortoise)
Sign: GANDHARA

136.
Raiden: With terror of their training unimaginable and aspiring with no limits for the pinnacle of kenpou, there are a large number who strike through their gate, but it is said that one in a thousand of them descend the mountain having finished the training.
Raiden: They wager life-and-death within relentless natural conditions, tempering their body and minds to their limit.
Raiden: Their kenpou which transcends the abilities possessed by humans, are called by an alias of “Gandhara Choujinken”.
(TN: “Choujinken” = “Superman Fist”)

137.
Raiden: Within them, their masterpiece is a final ceremony which is allowed for only those who have finished their training which takes 7 years and 7 months: the secret art of Sekikyuukan. This begins by locking yourself away in a stone coffin which is completely airtight that comes to be from 50cm thick with a fire erected from below.
(TN: “Sekikyuukan” = “Stone Door Plunge”)
Raiden: As time goes on, you have to destroy the stone walls with your own fists due to the temperature within the stone coffin rising and the oxygen becoming thinner; there is no way to survive by another means of escape.
Raiden: And thus, only those who are successful are presented the title of “Tatsugyousou” and are recognized as one of the Gandhara 16-Monks.
(TN: “Tatsugyousou” = “Attaining-Art Monk”)

138.
Raiden: With their connections cut off from the world and without anybody that has seen them, their existance has already become a legend......why would they break their thousand years of silence for this Daibukai...............!!
Toramaru: Choujinken...!? The...sect of the strongest kenpou in history.........!!
Togashi: Only...one in a thousand chosen kenpoists who train and descend the mountains~~~!?
Hassam: Fuffuffu: well, what's wrong? Already your opponents are waiting impatiently. Even so, with how you're losing your nerves, you can admit defeat without fighting them.
Toramaru: Do...don't speak so stupidly: who would speak like that about those opponent priests~~~!! Th...this time it's my turn----!! It's impossible to even stop me, even if it was Togashi---!
Togashi: No one will stop you. Handle them steadily.
Toramaru: Huh?

139.
Toramaru: E...Eikei---!!
Eikei: The Gandhara 16-Monks...!! Is their legend true or not............I shall make sure of it!!
Toramaru: I've...got not choice: I have to hold back against the face of a senpai.

140.
Voice: This'll be a considerably close fight.
Toramaru: It's...you guys---!! Are...your wounds fine already---!
Hien: We heard the story: perhaps this match will become a match which will raise the total energy of Otokojuku.
Baron Dino. W...we don't have a reason to rest for this.

141.
Gekkou: Compared to us, who have had this many casualties emerge with our two victims of Dokugantetsu and Henshouki in coming to these finals.
J: Those guys are sixteen who don't even have one scratch.
J: Ultimately, they aren't normal men.
Manjimaru: However, our Eikei is the man who is thest strongest of the Shitennou...
Momotarou: He is reserved without standing out normally, but there isn't a many more terrifying than him when he's turned to an enemy.
Toramaru: Pl...please, Eikei~~~!!
Togashi: Kick around those bizarre priests~~~~!!

142.
Gandhara High Priest: Father protected our thousand-year ban, absolutely severing our connections with the world. However with the death of father, we shall be different from here on with myself succeeding into being High Priest.
Gandhara High Priest: Now, the immortal, invincible fists of Gandhara shall be known to the world.
Gandhara Priests: As you will......!!

143.
Gandhara High Priest: Our first fighter shall be you. You have been nominated by the Yuutei Feather.
(TN: "Yuutei Feather" or "Yuuteiu" = "Secluded Lightning Feather")
"Chosen Priest": Thank you, I am blessed.

144.
Eikei: !!

145.
Tenshou Houshi: I am Tenshou Houshi, one of the Gandhara 16-Monks. I present myself as your guide to the paradise of Hades.
(TN: A couple weird things to make comment of at this time: first of all, though the "houshi" part of "Tenshou Houshi" translates into "priest", it appears as part of his name and not a title so therefore he shall remain as "Tenshou Houshi". Secondly, not only does Tenshou Houshi speak in an antiquated Japanese, he also sort of mixes a few things up, in particular referring to himself not as "sessha", which is an antiquated way of stating "I" but as "sessou", which is "sessha" with the second kanji using the same "sou" as in "monk".)
Eikei: KIRITSU-RYUU: DOKUSHUKEN!! Priest, it's best your prayers are chanted for you yourself!!
(TN: Reminder: "Kiritsu-ryuu" = "Breathless Fear-Style"; "Dokushuken" = "Poison-Hand Fist")

TN: It's time now, ladies and gentlemen, to play a little game of "subliminal moves you should have picked up on but didn't until later on!" Today's lesson: Eikei and his Kiritsu-ryuu. As you remember from the Paaren Seiha, the Kiritsu-ryuu is the offensive style of Eikei using his deadly poison-coated hands to attack and confuse with. But unfortunately...I didn't really notice it when I translated the arc a while back. The reason: "Kijin-ryuu", Eikei's OTHER fighting style involving his weaponry such as his nunchucks and glass boomerangs. Due to the first Kanji being the exact same, I literally screwed it up and didn't even note it when Eikei changed tactics when fighiting Momo...but that's why websites have edit buttons, huh. (then again it's not the only Eikei-related mental blow I had: I also just realized the tournament he annihilated is the exact same one that Jaki and Zeus fought in three years ago...then again considering Eikei pulled his "tournament destroying stunt" three years ago too...well, don't look too hard in making sense with Otokojuku I guess)

With that stated, this was a heck of a chapter to translate after going through all those easy fighting chapters with Jaki/Zeus. Heck, Raiden's whole three page explanation of Gandhara felt like he was a worker for Minmei...but considering it's been forever he's had lines I guess it's not too bad. I do find it interesting though from the little that we've learned of Gandhara is that they sort of want to not just merely be legends of the past and want to show their power off to a new generation based on the assumptions of a new leader who inherited the school from his father. On one hand I really do want to see why he is sick of being hidden away being a legend in the Himalayas...and on the other, I'm also sort of happy we get a more Eastern-bent opponent after the Western weirdness of Zeus and Olympus. Though as for why the rest of the cast is suddenly watching again...I think it has less to do with unity...and more to do with less BG characters holding back Togashi and Toramaru with all of them getting hurt. (heck, with Eikei going out to fight, all that's left to stop them are Momo, Date, Rasetsu and Raiden...if we didn't get the others back watching, they may actually...you know...fight!) Oh, and at the same time, I do sort of agree a bit on Eikei's assesment as made here as he heads into battle: compared to the flashier or showier warriors, Eikei is just one who is understated and in some ways just goes in to get things done. You really can't say that too much about any of the other Otokojuku fighters...probably Manjimaru and Gekkou are the closest since even ones like Date and Momo like to make a show of things to make their point.