Original subtitles

I don't remember how it started.

As far back as I can remember, it's what I always wanted to be.

The eminence in shadow.

Hello, Alpha.

Hello there.

Everything you said turned out to be true.

I looked in those ancient texts, and I found a description of the Cult of

Diablos. As I suspected.

It seems the more we learn, the more powerful they appear to be.

Nevertheless, I... We lurk in the shadows and hunt the shadows.

Yes,

that's what I want.

This is how I will finally become the eminence in shadow.

But man, this elf is a pushover.

foreign

So

The last summer of my high school career, I, Minoru Kageno, was on the

path to become the eminence in shadow when my journey was cut drastically

short.

What the hell?

But something's not quite right. He never seems to cry.

Oh,

I get it now.

What a hearty cry.

Oh, I must have been imagining things.

I have no idea how or why this could have happened.

But that's just a minor detail.

More importantly, the air is filled with magical energy.

In my past life, magic was the stuff of dreams and fairy tales.

But now, I can claim this overwhelming power for my own.

That's the only thing that matters.

With this power, I can... Uh oh.

So, I was reborn as the son of Baron Kagano, an aristocrat living out in the

boonies. For generations, this family has pumped out Dark Knights, fincers

that enhance their physical abilities with magic.

And everyone has high hopes for the Kagano heir, who is not me.

Hidden in the shadow of my abundantly talented sister, I grew up as the

average, ordinary Dark Knight in training.

Background character a but under that exterior I

See business is booming my dear Ben's then kindly show me all

of your valuables. Don't you dare get cocky with us you twerp You just you

there enough idle chitchat I told you to hand over the money

This is my slime sword.

It's nice, isn't it?

Wow, this is even more useful than I thought it would be.

What? Wait a minute.

Alright, fine.

Next. I can test this sword on you.

If you really work at it, you can survive about two minutes.

So hang in there.

Don't mock me, boy!

Surprised? I might not look like much at first, but I'm a Bushinru master!

Ah, just kidding.

You can't survive for two minutes.

And yes, I'm really happy with this slime bodysuit, too.

My caravan friends, I have avenged you.

Don't worry, my friends. I will make good use of the gifts you've left

behind.

Money, art, food, and... A

cage. That's weird.

Is it a slave?

You're not a corpse.

You've started to rot, but you're still alive.

Which means... You're possessed?

That wavelength.

I've felt it before.

It's just like a magical overload.

Ah.

Oh, I can make use of this blob.

It's not my body, so I can do anything I want with it without hurting myself.

After that, I started shooting it up with magic.

I tried all kinds of things that didn't work, but the experimentation was

exhilarating.

Then, one month later...

I finally succeeded in containing the magical Overlord.

Bye.

Oh my lord.

Something that decomposed can go back to normal?

Uh-oh. What do I do now?

Oh, I have an idea.

Stay sharp. This is your first performance as the eminence in shadow.

I see you've awakened.

What? But this can't be happening.

I'm... I have broken the curse that was gnawing away at you.

You're free now. Back to normal.

What do you mean?

You did this?

What curse?

Yes, it was a curse that was... A terrible curse that was cast upon all

the heroes' descendants.

I understand your consternation.

But surely you too have heard the tale.

Here it is.

The fairy tale recorded in these scriptures about three heroes who

defeated the demon Diablos and saved the world.

That story is true.

And the demon, with his dying breath, cast a curse.

That is what really turned you into the rotting lump of flesh But someone has

twisted history and turned you into objects of scorn calling you possessed

And the one behind it all is

Yes The mastermind is No, it's too soon

to speak the name. If you knew it you would only be in danger. I don't care

Tell me who did this to me. Oh, I see

In that case, I guess I'll tell you.

The cult of Diablos.

A group of zealots who are plotting to revive the great demon.

They never come out into the light of day.

My mission is to remain in the shadows to end their evil schemes, I guess.

Yes, my name is Stylish.

Sorry. No, my name is Shadow.

He who lurks in the shadows to hunt the shadows.

Shadow? My path is not an easy one, but it's necessary to fulfill my mission.

Child of the heroes, are you prepared to walk my path with me?

When I became ill, or rather when I was struck with this horrible curse, I lost

everything. My only future was to waste away as a hideous beast.

But you saved me, so...

If it is what you wish, I will give you my life.

And I will punish the guilty with death.

So, yeah, I made the whole thing up.

We'll probably be up against some very powerful government leaders.

And I'm sure there will be many people under their control that don't know the

truth. So what?

I'll show no mercy to any who stand in our way. Yes, good.

That's the spirit.

We will need to find the other hero descendants and take them under our

protection. Huh?

Oh, right.

As we expand our organization, we'll need to strengthen our base of

operations. We'll need to collect funds to that end.

Yeah, but in moderation.

Right, then, uh, okay.

We'll call our organization... Shadowgarden.

And the name you shall answer to is Alpha.

Three years passed after I brilliantly ad-libbed my way through my first

performance. I was now 13 years old, an average, ordinary Dark Knight in

training.

Your lens is weak!

I'm sensing this world, and the word is unsophisticated.

In my past life, living in the age of information, I was able to fuse all

kinds of martial arts together and optimize them. If I could just use them

here... Oh,

come on!

You're too strong! This isn't fair!

That boy never makes any progress.

Miss Claire, what can I do for you?

Your mother is calling.

The guests are arriving for your farewell party.

Sid, I won't be able to practice with you for a while, but make sure to

continue training on your own. Yes, ma'am! You, prepare a towel and a change

of clothes for the boy. Oh, man.

It's not easy to play the part of a background character.

But I must play background character A perfectly if I want to be ready for the

day I know will come.

When nobles turn 15...

They start attending the Midgar Academy for Dark Knights in the Royal Capital.

My sister is enrolled at the Midgar Academy for Dark Knights too, but...

When the day came for her departure,

she was nowhere to be found.

What is the meaning of this? Even if they attacked her in her sleep, how

could they ever overpower Claire?

The dirty bastard must have been a master fighter!

Then we have to accept this?

Is that what you're saying? No, that's not what I meant. I was just stating a

fact. Stop making excuses, bald man!

Take that! And that! And that! I'm sorry!

I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

Go find our daughter right now, dammit!

What are we going to do if something happens? What are you going to do with

that? I need you, Beta.

What do you need, Lord Shadow?

Alpha had collected members for Shadowgarden as if she was adopting

abandoned kittens.

So our numbers grew quite rapidly.

Where is Alpha?

Searching for clues in order to find Miss Claire.

She moves fast.

Is my sister still alive?

Most likely, yes.

The kidnapper belongs to the Cult of Diablos, a high-ranking officer.

Why'd they take my sister?

We believe they suspect Miss Claire is one of the hero's descendants.

I understand now.

I guess when these girls get involved, even regular old bandits can be

considered members of the cult. Please have a look at this map.

We have determined the locations of their hideouts, but we don't know which

hideout is the one where they are keeping Miss Claire.

That one.

Damn it, I missed.

That is where we'll find her.

But there's nothing there on the map.

It can't be. These cryptograms were a bluff.

In that case, if we compare it against this account, it all comes together.

Look, Lord Shadow.

I believe there is a secret hideout in the location you indicated.

I know. You took in this huge amount of information and saw the truth

immediately. You're amazing!

You're quite the actress, Beta. You deserve an Academy Award.

Call the Seven Shadows.

We move tonight.

Right.

You know, I had a daughter.

I would prefer not to have to resort to such violent ways.

Claire Kagano.

You can still dodge that while locked up in magic ceiling chains.

I was taught that it's not about how much magic you have, but how you use it.

Your father is a smart man.

That old baldy? It was my brother who taught me.

Your brother?

When we fight each other, I beat him every time.

that being said i'm constantly learning from my brother's sword and yet

strangely he never seems to learn a thing from me and that's why i pick on

him every day i've heard all about your brother when you showed signs of

possession he was the one that healed you is that not true oh god not that

again that's not how it happened at all there's no way that boy could have

healed me that may be but just in case i'm going to need to learn more about

this brother of yours

If anything happens to that boy, you'll have to answer to me!

What have you done?

You've mutilated your own hands! I'll kill you. I'll kill your beloved family,

your friends, everyone you know. I'll kill them all!

Stupid little bitch.

No matter.

We'll know if she's compatible once we've analyzed her blood. Master Grease!

What the hell do you want?

Intruders!

We think there are seven of them. They appeared out of nowhere, like shadows.

Our men are dropping like flies.

We're no match for them.

That's impossible.

Some of our knights are good enough to be in the Royal Guard.

How could this...

You...

Who are you?

We are known as Shadowgarden.

It is our mission in life to annihilate the cult of Diablos.

We already know everything about your cult. And about the revival of the demon

Diablos, the hero's descendants.

Don't forget the truth of demon possession.

Did you see the cult of Diablos?

How'd you find out? Where'd you hear that name? How'd you find that secret?

I'm not going to kill you.

Not before you tell us absolutely everything you know.

That was an interesting trick.

No need to.

He's headed straight for him.

Is that the reason we split up?

Lord Shadow is so brilliant!

Well, I'm lost.

I guess I got a little carried away hunting the little guy.

Damn it.

How the hell did you know I was coming this way? Hold on a sec!

There's only one of you!

You may have more magic power than Alpha.

Unfortunately, you have no idea how to use that power, do you? And I'm sorry to

say, but your lunge is quite pathetic.

Can't you see that your fighting has absolutely no finesse?

Please, allow me to give you a masterclass on the correct use of magic.

Lesson 1.

Concentrate a little magical energy in your feet for a burst of speed.

Lesson 2.

With the proper distance, you don't need speed and strength.

You don't even need magic.

Lesson 3.

I'm just getting started.

Have I ever felt so overwhelmed in battle before?

If I have, it was as a boy, when I was sparring against my teacher, after I had

only just taken up the sword.

It's not.

I don't care how much stronger and more powerful you are.

The darkness of this disgusting world is so much deeper than even you can

imagine.

Then I'll dive even deeper.

As deep as I can go.

I'm serious, boy.

I'll teach you something about the darkness of this world.

We're all worthless and fragile.

That is reality.

Taste it for yourself.

Feel your own powerlessness.

How disgraceful.

What is this? This enormous magical energy?

Sorry, playtime's over.

Of course.

It's not just his technique.

everything i was powerless against the darkness

but maybe this boy

He was pretty tough for a regular old bandit Well, that's pretty much how we

successfully pulled off this rescue mission After breaking out of her chains

Claire showed up back home the next day in a very bad mood She is stubbornly

tenacious and her injuries were more or less healed overnight.

She set out for the royal capital as if nothing had ever happened

I wish I could go to the capital.

It's a giant metropolis that doesn't even compare to this hick town.

There's bound to be a character there in the position of main protagonist.

And I bet there's a last boss, too.

Well, I'll get to go there in two years. In the meantime, I'll put Alpha and the

girls to work.

Shadow.

The hour has come.

It is time for us to part ways. We must leave you now.

This is goodbye Goodbye?

Thank you.