Original subtitles

CHUN YAN

You're way more of a kid than I thought.

Pardon me, but who might you be?

I'm Chun Yan, your new live-in caretaker and bodyguard.

In other words…

I can boil you up or roast you if I feel like it.

I can do whatever I want with you.

Understood. I appreciate your service.

Huh?

Such good manners.

Whatever. Just show me around for now.

Okay.

What a shabby house.

But I guess it suits a hated Qin royal.

Would you like something to drink?

If you'd like water, I can fetch some.

Are you really seven years old?

Is something wrong?

Yeah.

I don't like it.

Kids your age are supposed to get mad or cry easily.

But you keep smiling away.

It's creepy!

I'm sorry!

In that case…

How's this?

Are you mocking me?

No, absolutely not.

Forget it.

Um…

Come on, we're cleaning!

You help too.

You expect me to sleep in this filthy place?

Understood!

So began the strange pseudo-family life

of Ying Zheng and Chun Yan.

A PROMISE AND AN OATH

Cut me a deal since I'm buying that too.

I can't say no to you, miss.

Thanks!

Next is… Huh?

STEAMED BUN

Jeez.

If you want to eat one, just say so.

Mister, two of those steamed buns and a bit of that grilled meat.

Right away!

I haven't seen you around, miss.

You're a real beauty though!

Are you eating two all by yourself?

Here you are!

What was that?

Thank you!

Huh?

Mmm, delicious!

Hey, look. It's the Qin hostage prince.

That's him?

My son was buried alive at Changping.

My brother was tortured to death.

And yet that darn brat lives carefree.

Damn it! If the Zhao king allowed it, we'd kill him ourselves!

EVIL, FAULT, KILL, CURSE, HATE, GLARE

Thank you for the meal.

I'm a bit tired, so I'll rest in the back.

Wait!

What is this?

Did the townspeople do something to you?

No, that's not it.

I'm not sure when it began, but when I see the injured

or sense hatred,

wounds appear all over my body.

What?

Mirror-touch synesthesia.

For example, when someone touches their cheek,

you feel as though your own cheek is being touched.

This phenomenon,

where one feels the sensations of others through sight, as if they were their own,

is called "mirror-touch synesthesia" in neurological terms.

The symptoms vary widely.

In Ying Zheng's case,

the wounds he sees on others manifest as his own pain.

Furthermore, exposed to the intense hatred of the Zhao people since birth,

he began to develop severe symptoms,

perceiving that hatred as his own pain.

Ying Zheng, you…

But it's okay.

It's just pain,

and the wounds heal with time.

You can barely stand with the pain!

Why are you acting tough?

It's only natural for the Zhao people to hate me,

so this pain is my punishment.

Huh?

Ying Zheng's smile…

This was developed instinctively by a mere seven-year-old

to soften the searing hatred directed toward him.

It was sorrow-forged armor.

Even so, maybe I'll be forgiven one day.

Forgiven?

Don't be ridiculous!

Huh?

Why the hell are you grinning like that?

Why don't you get angry?

Why don't you hate those guys?

That incident.

The Changping incident.

You bear no responsibility for it!

You're being… hurt unfairly!

So stop holding it in!

If you want to cry, cry! If you're angry, be angry!

Don't kill your own heart to hide your feelings!

Get angry? Cry?

I can't do that.

I'm the child of a murderous nation.

A cursed child.

That's why…

that's why…

No matter how demonic the parents, their child bears no sin!

You're not bad.

You've done nothing wrong.

You're a kind person

who understands the pains of others.

These wounds are proof of that.

They're not a punishment or a curse!

Ying Zheng, you're allowed

to live… the way you want!

Live… the way I want?

Me?

That's right, Zheng! That's how it should be!

Go ahead and cry your heart out! Be as angry as you like!

Damn it! Why me?

I've done nothing!

I've done nothing!

I hate them! I hate everyone!

Damn it!

That day, Ying Zheng expressed his own emotions

for the first time in his life.

You're awake? You were sleeping so soundly.

Here.

What's this?

I thought maybe covering your eyes might ease the pain a bit.

-What is it? -You made this, Chun Yan?

I used to do it a lot back in the day.

Come on. Try it on for me.

Okay, Chun Yan.

Hǎo! Thank you. I'll treasure it!

"Hǎo," huh?

I love that word too.

Chun Yan became someone

whose presence caused Ying Zheng no pain.

FILTH, HARM, KILL

In his days with Chun Yan, Ying Zheng began to laugh from the heart

and grew happier and happier.

Those were the first truly happy days Ying Zheng had ever experienced.

However, two years later,

the Qin kings Zhaoxiang and Xiaowen died in succession.

And in 250 BC,

Zichu, who had abandoned Ying Zheng,

ascended as King of Qin.

Ying Zheng became the crown prince with the primary right to succession

and was permitted to return to Qin.

Prince Ying Zheng, we are nearing the Qin border.

We'll have to part soon, huh?

Yeah.

My job ends at the border.

Ying Zheng, these two years with you were fun.

Hey, Chun Yan,

won't you come to Qin with me after all?

I'm a Zhao person.

It's too late for me to live as a Qin citizen.

Yeah, I guess so.

Come on.

A Qin prince can't have such a glum face…

What's going on?

Who the hell are you?

This is the carriage of Crown Prince Ying Zheng of Qin--

I thought they might show up.

What's going on?

While you were a hostage,

you were treated as a guest of the Zhao king,

but now there will be people looking to settle their grudges.

No way.

Because of me…

Chun Yan!

I'll… I'll fight!

Hǎo. That's the spirit of a prince.

But!

Kids should act like kids and stay out of it.

Why…

This is…

It's my job!

Get in the way and we'll kill you first!

Chun Yan…

For me… for me…

Die, Qin woman!

I'm a Zhao person!

Die, cursed Qin prince!

Stay away from my child!

Ying Zheng…

Chun Yan!

Why?

Why would you do this

for someone like me?!

There's something I kept secret from you.

What?

I had a son named Chun Ou.

He was about your age now.

Alongside the captive soldiers at Changping,

he was buried alive.

I hated living.

Every single day, I cursed those Qin bastards.

Then I heard they were looking for someone to guard you.

I just

really had to see what the Qin prince looked like.

I even thought about killing you on the spot.

I was just like the villagers,

looking for an outlet for my hatred and revenge.

But

none of that mattered anymore.

If a kid like you,

someone who understands others' pain,

were to become king,

then maybe, just like I had changed,

this damned world

might change a little too.

Zheng, walk the path you believe in

and become the greatest king.

I will.

I promise I'll become the greatest king!

So please… please don't die!

That's good.

When you're sad, just cry your heart out.

Please!

I don't want you to die!

Chun Ou… So this is where you were?

Let Māma see your face.

Okay, Māma.

Hǎo…

Chun Yan?

Chun Yan!

After that,

Ying Zheng safely returned to Xianyang, the capital of Qin.

QIN CAPITAL XIANYANG

July 6th, 247 BC.

Following Zichu's death,

Ying Zheng ascended to the throne of Qin at the young age of 12.

Watch me.

I shall… No.

We shall walk my path together,

Chun Yan.

Just 25 years later,

Ying Zheng became Qin Shi Huang,

the first emperor in history to rule over all of China.

I didn't know Qin Shi Huang had a past like that.

Exposed to the hatred of people in hostile lands,

enduring unimaginable pain,

and surviving countless battles,

Qin Shi Huang gained the power to see "Linchpins of Qi," or "stars."

That's right. It was all to fulfill that promise.

You call yourself the greatest king, above even me?

King of Helheim, you are strong.

But I made a promise to someone.

A promise to become the greatest king.

Thus, I cannot afford to lose to anyone!

Unbelievable!

A king of men is cornering Hades, the King of Helheim!

A Divine Treasure specialized in defense, maximizing Qin Shi Huang's martial arts.

The tenth Valkyrie, Alvitr.

Her hidden power

is "Defender of the Army."

When air bullets hit the Linchpins of Qi, or stars,

the attack is weakened, and the defense is broken.

A terrifying technique.

And that's only possible

because of Qin Shi Huang's exceptional defense.

Truly worthy of admiration.

Lord Zeus!

Hermes!

Can't something be done about those air bullets or star things?

It's difficult. You see…

Huh?

In a fight, the most terrifying punch

is the one you can't see.

In other words, an attack that comes from outside your awareness.

And with Qin Shi Huang's technique,

you don't even realize you've been hit.

And by the time you do, it's already too late.

It's an unavoidable technique.

So you're saying Hades has no chance of winning?

This is the battle-hardened Hades, ruler of Helheim!

Speed, power, and combat experience…

Hades surpasses him in every way.

But that human, by eroding his own mind

and sacrificing his body,

is fighting Hades on an equal footing.

Humans… They're truly unfathomable.

A promise you cannot break, huh?

However,

I, too, have an oath I must uphold.

Hades is striking again!

By spinning the Bident like a windmill, he's completely neutralizing the bullets!

He can handle them, even if they're invisible!

Cornucopia!

Go!

As expected of Hades.

However…

It's impossible to completely block a technique

that you don't even realize has hit you during battle.

Chi You, Halberd Form.

Waning Moon of the White Tiger!

He's strong. Too strong!

Even the power of the King of Helheim

cannot undo the king of men's secret technique!

To think a mere human could reach this far.

I thought that would finish you, but…

Magnificent.

Hǎo!

Subtitle translation by: Daisy Savage