Last time, we left Ryner facing off Luke – who had said that he was here to kill Ryner. We go back to when Luke had met Miran. Miran asks Luke for a favor – to please follow out Sion’s decree and kill Ryner. Luke is surprised to hear this and grabs the hilt of his sword, refusing Miran’s ‘request’. Miran brings out his shadow demons but as we saw before, Luke quickly captures Miran with his golden thread (much to Miran’s shock). But the shock wears off and he smirks, ready to use another magic with his rule fragment but Luke quickly rushes forward to press his dagger against Miran’s throat.

He threatens to kill Miran if he lays even one finger on Milk. He asks Miran to nod once if he understands that no one messes with Luke’s ‘family’ and gets away with it. Miran nods and Luke quickly moves back. Miran agrees to let Milk go but Luke tells him that until he can confirm that Milk is alright, Miran’s life is in his hands. As he says so, several golden threads are still bound to Miran, one wrapped around his throat. Miran eyes the slender, arrow like weapon in Luke’s hand from where the threads are originating and asks if that’s a hero’s relic.

Luke admits to having picked it up after Ryner forgot to retrieve it. The threads from the needle have an infinite range and they can’t be cut. Miran comments that it’s quite a dangerous weapon to have if you know how to use it right. Who knows what could happen if it falls into the wrong country’s hands…Luke asks if he means Gastark? Miran asks if he has been watching closely. Luke is slightly taken aback as Miran asks his opinion. Is Ryner really a necessary existence for Roland and Sion? Luke is quiet as Miran says that Ryner’s ideal world is nothing but an illusion.

Ryner is dodging away from Luke as Liir sneakily watches the two fight. Most likely looking for an opening I bet, sneaky bastard that he is. As he jumps away, Ryner comments that Luke’s been holding back his power. Luke retorts that Ryner not only left Sion’s side but also ignored his calls to return. Ryner asks if that’s why he’s following the order to kill him. Luke admits that he is a kind person and he gets why Milk likes him but he is doing this of his own will. As he gets ready for his next attack, he yells that Ryner has no place by Sion’s side.

Inside the small house, Tiia is shaking away Rafra. Tiia comments that something is strange and he glances outside the window. Ryner just manages to jump out of the magic trap that Luke used on the thugs before and he eyes Luke from across a good stretch of land between em. Luke is confidently walking forward, saying that the victor of the match has already been decided – Ryner cannot win against him. (Wanna bet?) Ryner activates his AS as Luke runs forward. There are traps to the side but none in the middle. He quickly rushes forward towards Luke and the other man falters, wondering if Ryner saw through his plan. Ryner tells him not to get too cocky but then Luke smirks, “Just kidding” and jumps away. Ryner falls face forward on the ground.

Luke stands before him and is ready to slam his knife right through Ryner’s head. For a moment Ryner is terrified but then he thinks that “It’s alright isn’t it?” BUT THEN FERRIS RUSHES IN FROM THE SIDE AND SLAMS HER SWORD (SHEATH AND ALL) SMACK INTO RYNER’S TORSO AND OFF HE GOES! Ryner falls on his face, a good distance away from Luke but now with Ferris’s foot on his back holding his down. Ryner is shocked to see Ferris there (she is ‘surprised’ to find him underneath her foot). Ryner hurriedly apologizes, saying that he gets that shes mad and he’ll treat her to some dango or something but ahem, shes …. About as happy as a turkey right before Thanksgiving Dinner. She asks why Luke is trying to kill him.

Luke asks if she followed him and she asks “Did you notice that?” A loud frightened yell from the house has all three fighters turning their attention towards the house. Oh shit no D: There’s a major explosion, blowing the lid off the house. The kids huddle behind a wounded Tiia as he tells them to run away. Liir taunts him to eat those around him in order to heal his wounds. He MIGHT be able to kill him then. Ryner and Ferris run into the broken house and meet Rafra and three other kids (one of being the older girl). Just as Rafra says “Gastark is…” there’s another explosion underneath them and they all are propelled backwards with the force of the blast. Two lightening demons come out and make straight for the kids. Rafra jumps forward to protect the girl and….

The lightening demons turn the house into rubble and some of the kids have managed to make it out more or less unharmed, Pueka being one of them. Ferris and Ryner are outside as well, groaning slightly as they try to get up. Ryner recalls Rafra’s words to save the others as Tiia stumble through the thick smoke and comes across Rafra’s dead body. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO w(￣Д￣ )w WHY RAFRA?! WHYYYYY!!!! Tiia stares at the body, shaking in anger and grief as Pueka starts to cry but then goes berserk. OH SHIT. Ryner runs towards her saying that he won’t let her. But one of the lightening demons leaps forward and bites down hard on his shoulder. Ferris runs to his side and Liir tells him to not get in his way. He turns his attention towards Pueka and holds up a large round green ball and chants, “Gouge out the crystals, Spanquel!”

The ball glows green and a shot of green light runs through Pueka’s head, right through the eyes and…urk…Pueka’s body falls to the ground as Liir comments “Two to start with”. HOLD ME BACK BEFORE I TAKE A SLEDGEHAMMER TO LIIR’s HEAD! HOLD ME BACK I SAY! (#`Д´)σ YOU BASTARD! YOU DESERVE TO DIE WORSE THAN ANYONE THERE! The kids are shaking and crying as Liir chuckles coldly, telling them to go berserk already so he can crystallize them. Ryner is shaking as he recalls the sight of Rafra’s dead body and then Pueka’s…and then recalls them all happily having dinner together just hours before. He recalls Rafra’s request to save the others and he he angrily yells out, “GASTARK!” and starts making out magic circles lightening fast!  GO ON RYNER! KICK HIS SORRY ASS!

Liir comments that Ryner is surprisingly fast and quickly uses his rule fragment to form a shield around him to ward off the lightening attacks. He sends two of the demons forward on the offensive but Ferris cuts them down! With his eyes shadowed, Ryner starts another attack. Liir tells him that its useless. Tiia runs out from behind but he gets to eat another face full of lightening demons. Ryner uses Kurenai, sending balls of fire at Liir but he manages to dodge even that. He counters the attack and in doing so, one of the fragments of broken magic falls near the kids. Liir angrily comments that he just lost one body/magic he coulda crystallized.

Ryner steps forward, darkly promising to kill him before he rushes forward. He ignores Ferris’s yells, dodging lightening beast after lightening beast that Liir tosses at him. He is about to send his own bolt of lightning at Liir when Ferris jumps forward to block one of the demons with her sword. Ryner is surprised at the sudden interference and cries out as Luke grabs him from the collar and pulls him down. Ferris makes quick work of the demons but Ryner isn’t pleased that she just rashly jumped in front of a magic circle but Ferris interjects, yelling that he’s the idiot. She turns back, giving him a pained look, yelling that if he really wants to die alone then….he should just die. Ryner is surprised at the sad look she gives him but she quickly turns around saying that if he isn’t gonna be a monster or her friend, then he can just disappear. If he doesn’t think of himself as her partner, man servant or even her tea-drinking friend, then he can just do what he wants. But she won’t think of that way. No matter how much he thinks he’s a monster or how much he tries to deny that he’s lonely when he’s alone, she won’t think of him that way.

Liir comments that he just witnessed something really amazing. Almost fairytale like. But the fact that Ryner is a monster will not change. Ferris asks him “So what? So what if he’s a monster? I don’t mind.”  Liir says that she just said something quite interesting but he is a monster who, by his very existence, harms the entire world. HA, like regular humans are any damn ass better and YOU are your Gastark are God damned PROOF of that! Liir contines that dangerous monsters can’t be allowed to live (then what the fuck are you doing alive then?) Even if it doesn’t matter to her, it DOES matter to the world. Ferris however blows it off, saying that why should she care about that.

Ryner stands behind her, his head hanging as tears begin to fall down his cheeks. He softly speaks, “Why you should care…saying that so carelessly…I….Is it…okay if I live?” Ferris turns around to give him a soft look as she tells him, “You idiot. If you die, I’d be really lonely.” Their moment is broken as Liir says that she’ll be lonely very soon. Liir pulls out one of the crystals from his magic 8 ball. Ooooh I wouldn’t try that if I were you but hey it’s your funeral…A sudden attack from the demons has Ferris flying off before she hits the ground painfully hard. Ryner starts to run towards her but Liir activates the crystal.

Ryner’s AS gets activated and he falls to his knees as he tries to hold back his powers. He remembers that this same thing happened the last time with Kuu and Sui. He tries to fight against the voice that he fears before he goes berserk but he’s failng to hold it back. Inside his head, he’s resisting as hard as he can against what the voice is saying but he can’t stop ‘going under’. He thinks that yes he may be a monster and his hands are stained with blood but even then he wants to save those around him, he wants to reach out to them. Right before he goes under, a brilliant white light bursts from his closed fist as he thinks that if there’s anything that he can still do…

Outside, the crystal that Liir was holding up suddenly shatters in his hands as the light surrounding Ryner turns from angry red to a glowing blue. He pants heavily as he manages to come back to himself and Liir is shocked as hell that Ryner manages to stop the process. Ryner turns to face the man as he asks, “What the hell are you?” Ryner pants out, “A monster!” before he starts to make a magic circle. Liir is ready to attack back when Luke’s golden threads hold down Liir’s hand. Liir is surprised to see Latzel’s thread with Luke and Luke expresses his gratitude for learning his weapon’s name. However, he will still send his head on a platter back to Gastark. Let them know what happens when you pick a fight with Roland. AYE AYE!

Liir uses Spanquel to break Latzel’s thread – ho ho~ well well interesting interesting~ Liir dodges the lightening that Ryner sends his way but Ryner smirks even as the attack misses. The lightening falls on Tiia , who quickly absorbs the magic. Tiia lands behind Ryner, the latter asking the former to get the kids and to run away. Tiia grabs the remaining kids, gives Liir one last threat to kill him next time before he runs away. JUST TWO KIDS LEFT? D: THAT THAT THAT….ヽ(ﾟﾛﾟ；) As Tiia leaves, he tells Ryner that he will come back for him as the place he belongs isn’t there with the other humans. Liir sends his demon towards Tiia but Ryner blocks it with his own magic. Liir curses his luck that he only managed to get one crystal in the end. He jumps to the top of a nearby cliff and comments that of all his luck that he came across the Solver of all Equations here in Roland. Ryner is confused to hear that and Liir is surprised that HE doesn’t know about that. *eyebrow twitch* If I hear that ONE MORE TIME from a Gastark person I SWEAR I’m gonna bust someone’s cap….Liir is amused by this however – that Ryner doesn’t even know about himself. He cryptically comments that the hero isn’t complete yet and walks away.

Luke sighs and comments that the situation has changed drastically…and he walks away from Ryner as well. Ryner calls out to him but Luke reminds him that Ferris will open her eyes any time now.  Ryner goes over to Ferris and watches her as she slowly comes out. He asks if she’s alright and watches as she slowly stands up on her own. She tells him that she’s fine and looks around for her sword. As she walks over to pick it up, Ryner watches her with a sad, concerned look before shifting his gaze down at the ground. As she picks up her weapon, Ferris asks Ryner if he knows what kind of face Sion made after he left. Ryner starts slightly at her question and turns slightly towards her as she continues, “do you think that he really wants to kill you?”

Ryner is still kneeling on the ground and he tightens his hands into fists and and mutters that Sion always takes the whole burden onto himself…always trying his best…He remembers when Sui told him that Roland’s king is a true blue idiot for pursuing the ideal of creating a country where everyone can be happy and he miserably stares down at the ground. Ferris walks over to him as he lets out a small self depreciating sigh and says that he’s no good. Ferris agrees but it’s not the first time he’s been up to no good. Ryner agrees but says that they all are quite commendable. Going through all that trouble for a good for nothing guy like him…because he was afraid of hurting others and beig hurt himself, he ran away and found himself alone. But even then he was never completely alone.

He stands up and faces Ferris and declares that he’s gonna be going back to Roland. He’s done with running. He’s got a bad feeling about Gastark. But before that…he asks a favor from Ferris. She is surprised to hear him say that. He asks her to kill him the next time he goes berserk. Ryner quietly admits that he’s always run away from the fact that he’s a monster. He was terrified that he could end up killing everyone that he knew but know he wants her/them to give him courage. The courage to fight him till the end without running away. Ferris nods and agrees, saying that if that is what it takes to get him back. Ryner quietly thanks her.

In Roland, Sion has received word that Ryner will come back of his own accord and that magic eye holders from across the continent have come together to form an anti-Gastark force. And with Ryner a the helm, they can have an anti-Gastark front. Sion is sitting on the floor of his dark office, back against the wall and a report in his hands and he mutters, “Such things…have no meaning.” His eyes in shadows he continues, “How useful Ryner would prove to me or how useless…such things are…” he lets the report slip out of his hands and it flutters down before Lucile’s feet. Lucile comments that if Luke HAD killed Ryner, it mighta been better for Sion no? THAT’S why he gave that order no? Sion quietly says that he won’t kill Ryner. Lucile repeats his comment questioning and Sion says, “That’s right.”

Lucile laughs mockingly, saying that he’s chosen the crueler path. He walks forward and places a hand on Sion’s shoulder, saying that he thought that since Ryner was such a good friend to him, killing him off sooner would’ve been better. But is that really alright? If he’d kill that one, a substitute would be born soon enough. Just like Sion…if they both are gears in the same world, there’d be no need to sacrifice friends. Lucile tells Sion that he will only advance on the proper path. The strength to be able to trample upon everything that he holds dear. Friends, loved ones, everything. It’s in his very nature. Lucile’s last words are, “I hope you don’t regret this. My…my hero…”

Score: A+/A+

Okay wow, that was quite the episode. Quite the awesome fight! I think my jaw fell off and rolled off into some corner of the room….Where do I start from!? Lets go from the start. Luke managing to actually have one up on Miran? SKILLZ THIS MAN HAZ EM. Okay so its thanks to a hero’s relic but still. Which reminds me – one HELL of a shoddy job you did there Ryner and Ferris XD I wonder how many OTHER relics you managed to ‘lose’ or miss out on! But rock on Luke for having that bad ass needle of bad assery! Though I find it interesting that Luke came to kill Ryner on his own – I had totally been expecting Luke to blurt out that it was Milk’s life in exchange for Ryner’s. Well that goes to show me huh? 😛

Ferris! Okay whoa I LIKED her in this episode! The range of emotions that she showed had my heart going “dokun dokun” painfully at some parts. When she says that it doesn’t matter what he is, she’ll still be by his side and then defending him and all… fffffffffff THIS is the Ferris that I wanted to see more off. Loved it totally. And Ryner crying…. I reached for the tissue papers and wanted to bawl when Ryner asked if he could live. I admit it. It was just so…potent. Oh Ryner of course you can *bawls and hugs him*

LIIR YOU BASTARD! (`A´) JUST JUST JUST…YOU BASTARD! JUST DIE DIE DIE DIE A THOUSAND PAINFUL DEATHS BY BEING READ TWILIGHT BY SMEYERS! *runs around chasing Liir with a copy of Twatlight* Children! YOU KILLED CHILDREN! And then go about acting so God damned high and mighty as though what you are doing is righteous and virtuous! MAKES ME WANNA PLUCK YOUR HAIR OUT WITH A TWEEZER D: AND I MEAN THE SHORT AND CURLIES! Rafra and the kids and PUEKA *RAGE!!!*

I was sitting waiting for SOMEONE to kick Liir in the balls but nooooo the damn bastard ran away like a fucking dog with his tail between his legs! NOT FAIR! I hope that he dies by the end. And a right painful death at it too! *peevish pout* Ah that reminds me…Ryner managing to AVOID going all berserk ON HIS OWN? D: EPIC IN A CAN! HOW HOW HOW! Solver of equations? What the hell is that? Is that anything like dividing by zero? XD

And now Ryner and Ferris are returning to Roland but it seems that Sion is cracking underneath all the pressure. Oh Sion….when I see him, the only word that comes to mind is “despair” and that he’s standing at the edge of that cliff just ready to tip forward. He’s got too good of a heart to have such a hard job :’( and idiots like Lucile by his side DO NOT HELP. THE HELL was up with that last comment anyways? AND that reminds me, Ryner is still an incomplete hero? The hellll? Does that mean what I think it means? :O

AAAAAAAAAAAAH GIVE ME THE NEXT EPISODES ALREADY PLEASE! AND I SWEAR i’m not saying that cause  I want the fanservice shots…*sweats bullets* I WANT TO SEE SION..YEA YEAH THATS RIGHT! 8D