Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 260

With Souketsu skating past his competition, the first battle within Mouryou Tower has gone to Otokojuku! But with a squad in the dark about their current battles, is there any way for them to expect what their next opponent is!?

Chp. 260: The Room of Darkness!!

27.
Toramaru: A…are they alright, Momo and the others……!?
Togashi: Yeah: what is happening in that tower? It’s entirely unknown to all of us.
A. Kamshin: Please rest easy. They’ve already broken through the Room of Ice on the 1st Floor and the pieces are progressing to the 2nd floor.
(TN: “Pieces” here is “Koma”, which is in reference to shougi pieces)
Togashi & Toramaru: !!
Toramaru: Wh…what? Is…is that true~~~!!
Togashi: Th…they’ve done it---!! As expected of an elite set of Otokojuku---!

28.
A. Kamshin: But this Mouryou Tower is arranged to have strong enemies to the extent that they’ve climbed awaiting them when they climb up to them………!! From here will be the true hell.
Togashi: Wh…what’s that---!!

29.
Date: Fu~~those were tight stairs.
Momotaoru: It seems this is the door to the 2nd floor.
Momotarou: Let’s go!!
Gobarski: Yeah: whatever comes out next, it will be interesting!!
Gobarski: N---!?
Souketsu: What: I can’t see anything with the total darkness inside.
Date: No, look closely. Someone is there. Concentrate your eyes closely and look.
Gobarski: Hu---h!?

30.
Gobarski: Wh…what~~!!
Dashirma: I’ve been waiting. My name is Dashirma, one of the five of Mouryou Tower!! The guardian of this “Room of Darkness”!!
Momotarou: Wh…what is he…………!!
Souketsu: He’s pitch black……!! Pitch-black like he has charcoal on his entire body.

31.
Souketsu: N…no, it isn’t just his body!! Even the blade in his hand is pitch-black!!
Souketsu: I…I can’t see!! The door closed and it’s become complete darkness. Hi…his body has completely disappeared as well………..!!
Dashirma: WELL, WHO IS IT!! WHO WILL BE THE OPPONENT OF I, CALLED THE MURDERER OF THE DARKNESS!?
Voice: Fu, interesting. Are you saying we’re fighting a man whose whole body is painted jet-black within the dark……………!!

32.
Sou Reigen: I will be your opponent!!
Sou Reigen: The manager of Rouroukan, Sou Reigen!!
Momotaoru: Reigen……!!
Momotarou: Fu, we’ll leave him to you.

33.
Date: Don’t worry: with his extent of skill, he should be able to sense the movements of an opponent with just an indication, even in this darkness.
Momotarou: Further, he has his secret technique of the Shoukyuu Soudan!!
(TN: Reminder: “Shoukyuu Soudan” = “Sky-Soaring Manipulating Bullet”)
Sou Reigen: Well, what’s wrong, Dashirma? You should come at me from anywhere!!

34.
Dashirma: Fufu: if that’s for me, then I’m here.
Sou Reigen: !!
Sou Reigen: Ku!!
Momotarou: Huh, he unawaringly!!

35.
Sou Reigen: He did that………!! I haven’t ever been taken from behind by an enemy so easily like that.
Dashirma: FUFFUFFU: DON’T PUT ME TOGETHER WITH THAT SAMDAM WHO WAS DEFEATED EASILY IN THE ROOM OF ICE BELOW. I’VE CUT OFF ALL INDICATIONS AND THERE ISN’T A PROCESS TO GET CLOSE FOR YOU.
Dashirma: Like this!!
Dashirma: But my form can’t be seen by you!!

36.
Dashirma: There isn’t even a bit of a chance of winning for you while in this darkness---!!
Sou Reigen: Gu!!
Sou Reigen: Nuuu!!
Date: He can’t with this………..!!
Momotarou: Bu…but how can that guy Dashirma capture Reigen’s movements exactly like that in this complete darkness!?
Souketsu: Perhaps that guy has mastered training in Touanshi…!
(TN: “Touanshi” = “Permeating-Darkness Sight”)

37.
Commentary:
Normally, it is natural that a normal person can’t see objects in a place that is completely darkened, but from training in it, it becomes possible with Touanshi. Adopted by a fighting school, fights in the nighttime become everyday occurrences and whether it’s mastered or not is directly connected to life-or-death.
The ultimate user of Touanshi, instructor of Shouketsu-ryuu Ruu Kuusuu, is well known: his eyes were said to distinguish even a flying crow a block ahead of him within jet-black darkness. He correctly should be called a human infra-red scope. Incidently even in the present, the unit known as “Lux”, which indicates intensity of lumination, has the origin of its name from the previously mentioned Ruu Kuusuu, that is Rukkusu.
-From “Everything about Eyes”, Minmei Publishing
(TN: A couple things:
-“Shouketsu-ryuu” = “Soaring-Indication Style”
-A “lux” is a photometric unit regarding illumination as indicate by the eye, based over the spread of the light over an area.)

Dashirma: FUFFUFFU: HOW IS THIS TERROR OF THE DARKNESS? AS IS, YOU WILL BE CHOPPED UP AND DIE!!
Sou Reigen: That won’t be……!! I will show you: the secret technique of Rouroukan’s Shoukyuu Soudan!!
Dashirma: HOO, A YOUNGSTER WHO DOESN’T HAVE YEARS LIKE YOU USES THAT SHOUKYUU SOUDAN, WHICH IS SAID TO BE AN ILLUSIONARY SECRET TECHNIQUE!! FUFU, SO THEN, YOU SHOULD DO IT!!

38.
Sou Reigen: SHOUKYUU SOUDAN RENSOKUSHA!!
(TN: “Rensokusha” = “Consecutive Rapid-Fire”)
Dashirma: FUFFUFFU: WHERE ARE YOU AIMING AND FIRING AT!! I’M NOT IN THAT PLACE!!
Dashirma: HERE, I’M HERE!! BUT I’LL SAY ONE THING!! EVEN IF YOU SEARCH FOR PLACE FROM THE DIRECTION OF MY VOICE, IT’S USELESS!! THIS ROOM USES ECHOING SOUNDS AND HAS COME TO BE CONSTRUCTED SO YOU CAN’T USE THAT!!

39.
Dashirma: WAHHAHA, YOU’RE GOOD EVEN WITH MISSING YOUR AIM!! YOU TRULY HAVE THE FORCE TO BREAK THROUGH EVEN AN IRON PLATE, BUT YOU CAN’T BARE EVEN A SCRATCH ON ME WITH THAT!!
Souketsu: Nuu, it’s as he said. Without an indication to seize on without being able to see his form, it’s impossible to shoot him dead, even if I possessed my bow…………!!
Momotarou: No, I don’t think as such…………!! That disorderly attack of Reigen…..!! It seems to have some other aim…………!
Souketsu: What’s that………!?

40.
Dashirma: Let’s end this!!
Sou Reigen: GUFU!!
Momotarou: Reigen---!!

41.
Dashirma: THE NEXT BLOW WILL BE THE END TO YOU!! YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED!!
Sou Reigen: The decision to be prepared will be yours, Dashirma!! I can already see your form!!
Dashirma: UWAHHAHA: WHAT ARE YOU PRATTLING ABOUT!! I CAN BE SEEN---!? IN THAT CASE, GO AHEAD AND ATTACK---!!
Sou Reigen: Are you fine with that!?
Sou Reigen: You’re there---!!

42.
Dashirma: WH…WHAT---!!
Dashirma: Gugu!! Th…that’s…………!!
Gobarski: Ooh, he…did it---!! Reigen’s Shoukyuu Soudan has hit Dashirma’s arm---!!

43.
Dashirma: Kuuu, y…you; ho…how…………!? How do you know the place where I am……!?
Sou Reigen: You should look closely around here.
Dashirma: !?
Dashirma: Wh…what………!? Th...there are numberless small holes in the wall…………!!
Sou Reigen: Understand!? My random shots of Shoukaku Soudan wasn’t for hiting you; it was for opening holes in the wall. That was in the direction of the entire circumference!!

44.
Sou Reigen: If I open holes, then, naturally, it is only a little from there, but light does enter. And thus when those holes were plugged and I couldn’t be able to see them……………!! That was you directly in a straight line.
Sou Reigen: It was best if I aimed and attacked there.
Dashirma: Fufu, I understand what you’ve thought up.
Dashirma: But regretfully, the Shoukyuu Soudan that you attacked with avoided my vitals. This match is still partially mine.
Sou Reigen: I didn’t avoid it. Right there was the knot that will pull upwards your brachial muscle.
Dashirma: Huh!?
Dashirma: Oh!!

45.
Sou Reigen: And then by this hit to your arm, it will swing downwards to your body.
Dashirma: Ugo!! Wh…what the---!!
Dashirma: Aah, my…my arm is………!! Go…going down on it’s own---!!
Dashirma: Uoo---!!
Dashirma: Gugyaa----!!
Sou Reigen: Where you’re going ahead from here is the true world of darkness!!

TN: I really have mixed feelings about Reigen as I saw him fight. On one hand, he has a really sick ability (manipulating nerves to move muscles on their own with tiny stones), but somehow he does remind me a bit of a generic bishonen killer (akin to Hien)...and honestly he's the only member on team Otokojuku who seems to have a history of killing people maliciously. (aside from Date...and maybe Momo...yeah the Dokugantetsu murder still stings even if it was combat) I'm happy that he wasn't reduced to something ridiculous as a good guy (akin to Henshouki), but Reigen still does seem to give me a queasy feeling inside. Then again...this was a cool fight, with him defeating the opponent not by killing him first...but by removing the darkness in the room and then using his silhouette to take him down. It is a smart strategy...but somehow Reigen just will never surpass much of a second-rate Hien to me. (and even in Hien's case, he literally broke through his bishonen stuff and had some amazing fights)