Chapter 144: Conclusion--the One to Decide the Age

Attack follows attack in this quintessential fight to the death. The battle on which the destiny of the next age is staked now approaches the end. Not a clash of strength or an exchange of blows, the one who ends this will be the one who narrowly escapes with his life--And in the end, the one to decide the age is-- (Both Shishio and Kenshin are hunched over, shaking and out of breath. As Shishio struggles to pull himself together, steam begins to rise from his body.)

Aoshi (thinking): Red steam?

Houji (thinking): Blood--his blood is boiling! Lord Shishio's temperature is rising even higher--it's exceeding the coagulating point of blood. Lord Shishio is finally surpassing his limits!

(Shishio slowly gets to his feet; the smokestacks flare again.)

Saitou (thinking): Even now, this sword-ki... As I thought, in this fight Shishio Makoto holds the upper hand!

Sanosuke: Kenshin!!

Kenshin (thinking): My entire body is exhausted... And I'm losing a lot of blood... I've felt death near many times, but this is the first... this is true death. But Shishio's lost almost all of his strength as well. How many years later will he recover? Even if he comes back again, the ones who will bear the next age should be able to stop him. So the mission entrusted to me... will end here. To protect this country... to protect this city. And...

Kenshin... If you sacrifice yourself now, a girl who came all the way from Tokyo just to see you will be very unhappy. (Shishio, screaming and foaming at the mouth, raises his sword for the final blow.)

Let's go home to Tokyo together, okay? Let's go home... (Kenshin wrests himself upright to meet Shishio's charge.)

Kenshin: I can't die! There's no reason for me to die here! There's still someone waiting for me to come back! Nothing... nothing is stronger than the will to live!

Shishio: No. Nothing is stronger than I! In this world, the flesh of the weak is the food of the strong. The strong live, the weak die. I am the one who should survive!

Houji: Lord Shishio has at long last surpassed all human limitations!

(Shishio's entire body suddenly erupts into a pillar of flame.)

Houji (sinking to his knees in disbelief): Lord... Shishio?

Aoshi: Spontaneous combustion... He passed his limits... His temperature ignites his own body. The violence that came forth from the flames of the Bakumatsu is once again enveloped in flame as it returns to hell...

(The fire envelopes Yumi's body as well. From within the pillar of flame, mad laughter can be heard. Gradually the flames die down.)

Houji (beating his fists against the ground) I cannot accept this! I cannot accept it! Lord Shishio was winning!

Saitou: No. In this fight the winner was the survivor. The strong live, the weak die. Just as he said...

(Kenshin picks up Yumi's broken watch.)

Aoshi: The flow of time that connects the past to the present... it could not allow Shishio's victory and became Battousai's ally. Time... chose the one who should live...