Chapter 9 Episode 2/2-2 - Storyline

What Was Entrusted to Me
Amane	(This sound...) Iron... The sound of forging a sword...? I... Yes, Mammon and... Trial... But without any teeth...
???	How long do you think you can go on like this while your people are fighting for their lives right now?
Amane	... I'm not going to let you do that! No, no, no!

Amane	Hnh? This place is...
???	The alchemy of union, the influence of an unbridled power that binds all things... You seem to have blurred the boundary between inside and outside.
Amane	You are the one who fought to save Louis at Greed Dike?
Yna Ku	My name is Yna Ku, an ordinary blacksmith, a man who can be found anywhere.
Amane	Master Yna... You are the one who brought me from Mammon?
Yna Ku	That's not true. I told you. The boundaries are blurred. Your own body is still in the middle of the ordeal.
Amane	Isn't that dying?
Yna Ku	Yes, that's right. Mammon has already given up on your potential. If you do not regain consciousness, you will die at the hands of that beast.
Amane	Then I need come back quickly!
Yna Ku	And you will be defeated again.
Amane	Well, that's...
Yna Ku	Well, if that's your choice, I have nothing to say to you. You go down a path where you know you're going to die... then in a way, you can say that you want to die a cruel death.
Amane	I think your words are a bit harsh. I have done something wrong to you!
Yna Ku	If you are my friend, I will choose my words; if you are my neighbor, I will show you mercy; if you are my enemy, I will answer your points with my blade. But when a disciple is immature, we have no choice but to respond with bitterness.
Amane	Disciple? Am I your disciple?
Yna Ku	I am aware of it, Amane, the alchemist of the knot. The thread of cause and effect between all things, the unknowable steel called "karma", which is converted into "power" by striking, forging, and refining it. You have bound many things as you have been called upon. The bond between parent and child. The wish of your ancestors. The will of the divine stone. Without you, there would have been many walls that I could not overcome. With your help, many would have gone on. But... How long do you intend to remain "as you are"?
Amane	What do you mean?
Yna Ku	You fight for the thoughts and prayers that are entrusted to you, but they are the thoughts and prayers of others. It's someone else's prayer. It's true that we, as human beings, inherit many wishes and prayers and walk on. But you know what? It may be right, but it is not right to impose what we have received from someone "as is" on the next. No matter how beautiful it is, if it is not your own, it is meaningless.
Amane	I... I have seen many things. There was sorrow. But in the midst of it all, there was joy and pleasure. I have felt what I felt, what I found beautiful, and I have carried on with my heart. You say it is wrong, is that so?
Yna Ku	That's not what I'm saying... So? What do you want?
Amane	What?
Yna Ku	"I want to win Azami."
Amane	...
Yna Ku	"I want to be recognized by Captain Ugachi." "I want to save my country from the threat of demons." At first, you had your own desires, but now, what do you want? Have you seen many beautiful things? Have you heard many resolutions and prayers? What about it? Such things are other people's reasons, and no matter how beautiful and precious they are, they should never take precedence over one's own "greed".
Amane	That's so selfish!
Yna Ku	That's human nature. All the things you believe to be beautiful and all the things you condemn to be ugly are born of selfishness. Prayers for salvation and treacherous schemes... they are all brothers born of greed.
Amane	All are born of greed...
Yna Ku	Don't cover yourself with others' ideals and fool yourself into thinking you are immature.
Amane	...
Yna Ku	Mammon is quite overprotective, so be bold and be selfish. Whether it is a childish dream or a childish wish, the Sacred Stone will respond to it with sincerity. That is what has been missing from the kings of Greed Dike so far. They were all too "grown-up", taking all reason and unreason for granted. The Sacred Stone in their hands... They knew that the Sacred Stone in their hands was the miracle that could blow away all the absurdity and unreasonableness.
Amane	Are you sure? Are you sure you want to do that?
Yna Ku	Of course it's okay. What's wrong with a "child" crying to an adult? Go ahead and spoil her.

Amane	Huf, huf, huf...
Sacred Stone Mammon	Well, you're still standing, but your trials are over.
Amane	I...
Sacred Stone Mammon	...?
Amane	I wish to restore peace! A world where everyone can live with a smile on their face.
Sacred Stone Mammon	That's it again? I'm so tired of such a pretty ideal...
Amane	Because if we don't... I can't laugh... I can't laugh!
Sacred Stone Mammon	What?
Amane	I hate sad faces... I hate crying faces too! I don't like to force myself to smile even though I'm in pain! It hurts so much to stand up... It's very painful! That's why I like peace...! I want a future where we can laugh through all the pain and suffering... I want it...!
Sacred Stone Mammon	I see... I see. I see... Well...
In the past...

The present...

Sacred Stone Mammon	In every age... children are selfish things.
Amane	Mammon...?
Sacred Stone Mammon	You are not qualified. You are not supposed to be standing there. But... Yes, but... that "greed" is good. Living things should be selfish after all. That's all right. I don't know if that little snake dragoness would approve, but I will approve instead. For I am, after all, in a sense, a pillar of Ouroboros.
Amane	Will you lend me your power?
Sacred Stone Mammon	Yes, I will give it to you. Wadatsumi, a selfish and greedy man has piled up on this island for the sake of a single wish, the fruit of his many sins and forgiveness. The fruit of his labor.
Amane	This is...
Sacred Stone Mammon	The power of the "Plundering Dragon Realm" extracted by Nimul the First from my remains... the crystallization of the "curse" of the Sacred Stone Mammon, which steals all power and swallows it up. The fangs of causal severance that shatter the defenses of the beasts of creation. You may call it so.
Amane	...
Amane	This figure...
Sacred Stone Mammon	Oh, so that's how it turned out. Well, it's a natural conclusion, considering the path you've taken so far.
Amane	What do you mean?
Sacred Stone Mammon	That robe contains the power of a demon.
Amane	...!?
Sacred Stone Mammon	She is a sister of the demon bloodline, and has inherited the memories and wishes of the demons of old, and perhaps her design is a proof of that.
Amane	Azami and... I will grant the wishes of Mikaboshi and the others... Then we cannot lose this war.
Sacred Stone Mammon	Oh, go on, my little Wadatsumi.
Amane	...
Sacred Stone Mammon	Indeed. It is always the will of the child to transcend my schemes... It's all a matter of fate.